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Ever since I can remember, my family has decked our home with a real Christmas tree. We looked forward to driving to a tree farm, freezing our tails off, while we picked out the perfect pine. We would spend about an hour in the field, surveying each tree, down to the limb and needle.

Once home, we played Christmas carols as we spun lights, ribbon and hung ornaments on the tree. The smell of fresh pine filled the air, while the tree brightened the room. It was a tradition I couldn’t wait to continue with my own family.

But now, I’m the mother of a 2-year-old boy. I’m scheduling bathroom breaks into my smart phone. I can forget about penciling in a couple of hours for Christmas tree “shopping,” let alone decorate it. He will probably be lucky if I even wrap gifts this year!

I’m debating about starting a new tradition. I’m thinking about buying a (gasp) fake tree.

Yesterday I was looking at a Black Friday ad and saw a beautiful tree for a great bargain. It had pinecones, berries and twigs, very real looking. I couldn’t do that with a fresh-cut tree (not without a lot of work, anyway). I could shave hours of "free time" if I could just take the tree out of the box, and fluff it up a little.

My question is, if I do go with an artificial, am I losing a piece of me? This is more than a material need. It was about the sights, sounds and smells of the holidays. It is what I grew up with. But does it really matter if those are real or fake?