Does NJ prefer real or artificial Christmas trees?

This past weekend it seemed like every third or fourth car you passed in suburban New Jersey had a Christmas tree on the roof of their vehicle.

It's a scene that will repeat itself for the next few weekends until Christmas.

If New Jersey is like the rest of the country, it seems people prefer artificial trees more than 2 to 1.

Artificial trees are more popular than real ones: 67.4% of Americans say their main Christmas or holiday tree is an artificial one, while 32.6% opt for a real tree, according to the Rocket Homes survey.

While it seems so many people are concerned about climate change, you might think buying an artificial tree is better for the environment than cutting down a tree to put in your house for a few weeks.

You would be wrong.

Most artificial trees come from China and are made from petroleum-based materials.

The process of manufacturing and then shipping those beautifully authentic-looking trees across the world leaves a hefty carbon footprint.

Artificial Christmas trees are made from PVC plastic and shipped primarily from China. A single artificial tree has a carbon footprint of around 40kg of CO2.

We've been buying real trees in my family as long as I can remember, both as a kid and then raising my kids.

We prefer the scent of Fraser firs. They usually come from Canada.

In recent years, problems with either the trees or certain tree farms going out of business have made some types of trees expensive or very hard to find.

If you need help choosing the type of real tree you want click here.

We've gotten trees from garden centers, churches and most recently from a local garden center/market.

Johnson's Farm in Medford does it up right with a variety of trees, and Santa riding his tractor-pulled sled through the parking lot. (The reindeer union doesn't let them work on weekends)

Santa hasn't had kids on his lap in a couple of years due to the pandemic, but some places are back to doing that.

My daughter loves anything to do with Christmas, but she's passed on sitting on his lap for a few years now.

After all the lifting and tying the tree on the roof, cutting the excess trunk to fit in the house, and what seems like endless decorating, the final product does look pretty amazing.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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