The trouble with putting an evergreen tree in your house every Christmas is that it doesn’t really stay green forever. Sometimes they seem to turn brown the moment you put them in the stand.

Pine needles all over the floor is a nuisance that many people in Bermuda happily put up with, just to get the lovely smell of a real tree.

For some people Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the smell of evergreen in the house, while others can live without it.

The Royal Gazette recently carried a quick survey on the street asking people the pressing question, real tree, or artificial? We found a pretty even divide between the two types of Christmas tree. Many people we spoke with also said that while they loved having a Christmas tree, Christmas really about a tree or presents or material things, it is about family and togetherness.

Alan Pearce said it was a fake tree all the way for him. “A fake tree has saved me at least $400 in the last four years of not buying a tree,” he said. “A real tree carries on growing somewhere if I have a fake one. The wife decorates the tree. Normally, women are more creative than men about these things. I don’t miss the smell of pine at all.”

Loretta Burrows said she had to have a real tree. “I like a real tree because of the smell,” she said. “For me the smell just adds to the spirit of Christmas. I usually get an eight to nine foot tree and I get it delivered to my doorstep.”

Claire Simons said she had thought about getting a fake tree this year, but in the end decided they weren’t ready yet.

“We are hanging in with the real tree and we love the smell,” she said. “We were Christmas tree shopping on Sunday but the tree we found was over $200. It was a little bit too much. Apparently, there is another shipment coming in and the trees will be a wee bit cheaper so we are waiting for them. We are going to get a six ft to seven ft tree.” She said when she picks out a tree she looks for a tree whose needles won’t fall. “We give it a good shake and if the needles don’t fall, then that is the tree for us,” she said.

Damien Baxter said he had to have a real tree for his children to enjoy. “It is up but not decorated,” he said. “When we pick out a tree we look for a full shape tree. As long as it has a nice smell we are happy with that. It was hard to pick a tree this year. They were all pretty good.”

Andre Philpott said he doesn’t get a Christmas tree, real or fake as he lives on his own. “It doesn’t make sense, not even a fake tree,” he said. “I will go around family and they will have one. I can enjoy one that way.”

Melody Bean said she was going to buy her first artificial tree that afternoon. “I am getting a fake one for the first time in my life,” she said. “I think I am tired of trying to find a big tree and the cost of it. The other thing is cleaning up needles for the next three months after Christmas.”

Cynthia Mayes said she preferred a real tree, but she was cautious that it could be a fire hazard.

“It is nice to have a fresh cut tree in the house,” she said. “I had a real one when my children were little. I have a fake one in storage, but I haven’t put one up in a while. I love Christmas because it is a nice time of the year. It is too commercial, when it should be about families gathering together and realising that you have had many blessings through the year and enjoying each other’s company.”

April DeShield said she was happy to have a real tree this year after having a fake one last year for economic reasons.

“The children love the real one,” she said. “The smell is wonderful and feels like Christmas. My children are old enough now to enjoy putting decorations on the tree. I have a four year old and an eight year old.”

Shirley Blakeney said she believes in getting a real tree. “I have one at home and the whole house smells of pine,” she said. “We look for it to fit the space that I have available. We look for a nice full tree. If it is two inches too tall then we try to shove it in. Years ago we used to cut down our own trees. When I was a child we lived directly behind the golf course. We used to go onto the golf course and cut down a cedar tree. It wasn’t stealing. They were abundant at that time.

Manuel Pacheco said he had a fake tree at home. “The wife takes care of picking it out and decorating it,” he said. “We also have a small Christmas village that we have set up. The grandchildren love to see it. Everyone comes on Sunday to enjoy it.”