Artificial Christmas Tree Buying Guide
Welcome to Great Occasions! You've already answered the first question about buying your Christmas tree... artificial or real? At Great Occasions, our artificial trees are so lifelike, they'll leave your guests wondering. You'll get an artificial Christmas tree that looks remarkably like a fresh one, with none of the drawbacks!
Now that you've decided to go with an artificial or fake tree (and say goodbye to spiders, messy watering, shedding needles and oozy sap dripping into your carpets), the only questions left are the fun ones... Which artificial tree should you choose? We have many fake Christmas trees to choose from, but we'll do our best to guide you toward the one meant for you.
First, there are four main aspects to consider when choosing your Christmas tree:
Family:
To facilitate your xmas tree search, one of the ways we have grouped the trees is by families. At Great Occasions, we feature more than 20 different tree families. If you don't know yet which family you may prefer, follow this link to our Tree Family Page, where you can view an example of each.
Some factors to consider when deciding on a particular family of tree:
- Natural versus flocked look
- Traditional versus contemporary
- Green versus colored branches
Height:
Height should be one of your easiest decisions. As soon as you decide where you want to put your Christmas tree, you should have a good feel for how tall a tree you want. You'll want to leave at least 2 feet from the top of the tree to the ceiling - to ensure plenty of room for your tree topper.
At Great Occasions, we feature affordable artificial Christmas trees from 2 feet all the way up to 15 feet. So, we're sure there's an artificial tree here to fit your needs.
Profile:
The profile of your artificial tree may simply depend on preference. However, it may also have a lot to do with the size and shape of the room in which the tree will stand.
At Great Occasions, we have several profile types: Full, Slim, Pencil, Spiral, Wall, Half Tree, Upside Down and more. Within each family of tree, there may be several profiles from which to choose.
Lighting:
Great Occasions stocks a stunning array of artificial pre-lit Christmas trees from which you may choose. Our lighted Christmas trees come in a variety of heights, profiles and six different lighting styles.
- Dura-Lit Clear Lights: The lights stay lit even if a bulb burns out or is removed.
- Dura-Lit Multi-Colored Lights: The lights stay lit even if a bulb burns out or is removed.
- Clear Lights: All the lights on the tree will be clear bulbs.
- Multi-Colored Lights: The lights on the tree will be a mixture of yellow, blue, green, red and orange.
- G50 Clear Lights: (G50 bulbs are golf-ball size)
- G50 Multi-Colored Lights: (G50 bulbs are golf-ball size)
- LED Lighting: Warm, Clear or Multi-Colored Lights in a variety of sizes.
Even with all these stunning lighting choices, you may still choose to go a different direction - an Unlit Artificial Christmas Tree. You may want to go with this option if you want to feature your own lights on their own, or if you want no lights on your tree at all.
Now that we've touched on the four main questions, when it comes to finding the unique artificial Christmas tree suited to your tastes, remember: You can use our Artificial Christmas Tree Locator at any time to focus your search.
After considering height, profile and lighting options, here are a few more things to keep in mind:
At Great Occasions, we strive to provide beautiful artificial Christmas trees that will brighten your holiday décor for years to come. We want you to feel comfortable shopping with us; with that in mind, we offer the following:
- Double-Box Shipping - Our pre-lit Christmas trees are shipped in two boxes. This extra feature reduces the chance of loose or broken bulbs in transit. Plus, the extra box doubles as the perfect tree-storage container.
- Extra Light Strands. Great Occasions ships one extra light strand for artificial trees up to 9 feet - and two extra light strands for trees over 9 feet.
- 170-Milliamp Bulbs. We've discovered this is the perfect bulb - because it gives a stunningly bright light. Although there may be trees on the market with greater amperage, Great Occasions is interested primarily in the longevity of your pre-lit Christmas tree. Bulbs with wattages greater than 170 milliamps may burn too hot, potentially diminishing the bulbs' life expectancy over time.
- Hinged Branches. Great Occasions trees feature branches that are permanently hinged to the center pole (unless otherwise specified).
- Sturdy Metal Base. At Great Occasions, we only stock artificial trees that have sturdy metal bases. This will provide you with an overall safer and sturdier tree.
- Reliable Warranty. Great Occasions' artificial prelit Christmas trees come to you with at least a 10-year construction and 3-year/3,000-hour light warranty. There are no conditions on these warranties.
- Returns. If, for any reason, the artificial tree you order does not fit your needs, feel free to return it to us. The only condition we place on returns is that we do not accept returns on artificial trees on or after December 25th in the year of purchase. Of course, please contact customer service to obtain an RMA number prior to returning any items.
- FREE SHIPPING. Currently, free shipping on all orders over $25!
Happy Holidays!
The Great Occasions Team
