Although I love the smell of a "real" tree, I don't like the constant watering, loss of needles, and fire hazard that goes along with it. I like to put up my tree the day after Thanksgiving and keep it up until January 2. A real tree doesn't look as good after a couple of weeks.

I'm much happier with a fake tree that requires no watering, doesn't lose its needles, and looks as good a month later as it did the day you put it up. I like using scented candles and cinnamon pinecones to achieve the Christmas smells. Another plus is that a fake tree is much cheaper in the long run than a real tree.