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Good Question: Do We Like Real Or Fake Christmas Trees?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For many families, Christmas just isn't the same without a tree. According to the American Christmas tree Association, almost 80 percent of Americans put them up this time of year.

So, do we prefer real or fake Christmas trees? Good Question.

It's a $2 billion business. A survey from the National Christmas Tree Association found Americans bought almost 26 million real trees and 12.5 million fake trees, but people use their artificial trees for much longer. More than half of people report keeping their trees for more than 10 years.

A survey from the American Christmas tree Association finds 20-percent of families buy real Christmas trees while 80-percent use artificial. (They prefer to use the term artificial over fake.) That's up from 60 percent over a decade ago as artificial trees are gaining in popularity.

"Artificial trees have gotten better over the years," says Jennifer Lutz, a blogger with Tree Classics. "The technology is better, they look more real."

For those why buy real, the NCTA survey found 76 percent and pre-cut and 24 percent are cut your own.

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