If you are looking for an artificial Christmas tree, you have more choices than ever.

You can find an artificial Christmas tree that looks so real, you can smell the pine scent. You can buy an artificial Christmas tree that looks real, but resembles a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. A fiber optic Christmas tree is a new kind that even though it is not exactly real looking, has a definite appeal.

When I was a little girl, my parents always had an artificial Christmas tree.

I never thought anything of it because it was just something that was normal in my household. When I got into high school, I started wanting to have more meaningful memories of my childhood Christmases. So, I began this mission to get my parents to give up the artificial Christmas tree and let us get a real one. My mother balked at the idea, saying that real trees are just too messy and don't hold ornaments very well. I continued forward with my mission until finally my parents gave in. They said that they would leave the artificial Christmas tree in the attic that year and we'd go in search of a real tree. I was tickled pink. And so, we decided to journey out to a Christmas tree shop and cut down our own tree. We picked out a particular Saturday, which happened to be the coldest day of the year so far. We walked for what seemed like forever to find this "perfect tree" and none of us could agree on anything. In fact, it led to many arguments that put us all in more of a grinch mood than spirited. Finally, after two hours of freezing our behinds off, we all actually agreed on a tree. It was chopped down and we were on our way. After trying to get this tree to stand up straight and get all of the imperfections hidden, decorating was more difficult. I could easily see what they always used an artificial Christmas tree. I wasn't about to speak up, but I knew that the following year I would easily agree to put the artificial Christmas tree back up.

As an adult and now a parent, as much as I love the smell of a fresh pine tree, we purchased a very real looking artificial Christmas tree several years ago and continue to use that each holiday season.

It came with dainty colored lights already on it, so it makes our lives even easier. With having kids running around the house, I am all for making my life even a tiny bit easier. We still decorate it and make it a big family ordeal. We all have our favorite ornaments that we have to carefully place on the tree first. The artificial Christmas tree has sturdy branches that let us put some heavier ornaments on the tree that a real one would probably not. When it is all said and done, we stand back to admire our creation, and you would never know that it is an artificial Christmas tree.

My parents still remind me every year about our famous Christmas tree hunt that left us all miserable many years ago.

They also are quick to point out that ever since that year, I have always been a big fan of having an artificial Christmas tree.

Maybe next year, I'll buy a fiber optic Christmas tree.