Christmas Edition: Ahhhh! A Christmas tree!

Christmas is near (at least for those of us who are celebrating it) and this is my last post for the year. I will be back on Thursday, 2 January 2025. But before I sign off, as has become customary, a couple of thoughts about Christmas…

In one of my previous Christmas Editions, I tried to ruin your Christmas by telling you that having a real tree as opposed to an artificial one only tends to be better for the environment if you get rid of your plastic tree within four years. Use the artificial tree for four years or more and it has a lower greenhouse gas footprint than the real thing.

The Real Christmas Tree Board (yes, that exists) thought that caring for the environment is one thing, but what about the health benefits of a real Christmas tree?

Health benefits? From a Christmas tree? Yes, there are some – at least if you believe a research paper commissioned and paid for by Big Christmas Tree. And what could be wrong with such a paper?

The authors from West Virginia University asked 1,208 Americans from all walks of life to watch videos of people shopping for real or artificial Christmas trees and evaluate whether the video was ‘restorative’, i.e. if they thought they would be able to relax or calm down while shopping and selecting Christmas trees.

The sample of volunteers was admittedly quite biased toward artificial trees with more than half reporting they only have an artificial tree at home and never a real one.

What kind of Christmas tree do you have at home?

Source: Pierskalla et al. (2023)

The study found that shopping outdoors in lots where real trees are sold can help people recover from mental fatigue, improve their concentration, and help them feel less irritable. There is about a 5% improvement in restorative feelings when watching a video shopping for real trees than artificial trees.

Overall perceived restorative quality

Source: Pierskalla et al. (2023)

So, let’s take this high quality and objective study to heart, and let’s all get a real tree for Christmas this year. Then you can sit in front of it with a good book and spend time with your family and loved ones.

I wish you a happy and relaxing festive season and a great start to the new year. See you all in 2025.