December is a time for gift giving, clunky yet charming sweaters, laughing at Will Ferrell in his iconic Elf costume, and for many, decorating the traditional Christmas tree.

Often bejeweled with sparkly glass ornaments, the occasional candy cane, and a star, the holiday evergreen conveys the spirit of the season. But with recent technological advances, more and more people are leaving the snow-covered orchards behind for the faux-tree aisle at Costco.

This influx of merry men and women turning to plastic instead of pine needles is truly for the best. In fact, it must be encouraged.

From an environmental standpoint, the tradition of chopping down trees in order to celebrate a holiday is troublesome. An estimated 9 in 10 Americans celebrate Christmas each year, according to the Pew Research Center. If every family cut down and used a real tree in their home, nearly 300 million spruce or other evergreen trees would be destroyed annually.

With fossil fuels deteriorating the atmosphere, the planet needs as many of these trees alive as possible to transform carbon dioxide back into oxygen.

As for tree farms, who dedicate their land to specifically growing Christmas trees, they are, in fact, environmentally taxing. According to a study conducted by the Atlantic, some tree farms have downsized their production by 42% due to “overzealous planting” which caused degradation of soil.

This means future tree farm production will become more challenging and the cost per acre will skyrocket.  This cost will be passed on to the consumer.

From an economic perspective, paying for a new tree each holiday season simply isn’t practical. These real trees currently cost between $25-100. During the “time for giving,” Americans open up their wallets to the exploitative tree retailers rather than to charities truly in need.

Instead of flushing cash down the toilet, families should save money and the environment by investing in a fake tree.

Faux-trees are typically only slightly more expensive than the real thing.  But these trees will continue to be useful for many years, saving families hundreds of dollars over the longterm.

And the maintenance required for a faux tree is nearly nonexistent. You simply put it up, plug it in, put a few tinsel strands here and there, and Merry Christmas.

Those who invest in real trees are all too familiar with pine needles littering the floor of their living rooms. The shedding of these trees is inconvenient, and poses a danger for families with young children or pets.  Furthermore, live trees are a fire hazard.

Fake trees are a way to ensure your household can be immaculate and festive simultaneously, as they are incredibly tidy and look better and more symmetrical than the real thing.

If it were up to me, Christmas songs would play on the radio year round and snow would fall every night. It’s always so sad to see those real trees slowly dry up and turn brown.

In fact, according to The Christmas Tree Association, 20% of American families purchase live trees that wilt before the holiday even happens.

A heartbreaking thought, but it shows how truly undependable real trees can be.

With a  fake tree, the festive holiday spirit can persist long into the new year.

Christmas-celebrators must utilize fake trees now to save the decaying environment, salvage the fertile soils that are left, and ultimately save lots of money.