I do not know if you have a Costco near you, but if you do, definitely check out the selection they have there. I resisted getting an artificial tree for years, as I did not feel they were realistic enough.

I purchased one last year and it is simply gorgeous! Most of my friends had to touch it to make sure it was not real

We, too, have a gorgeous Costco tree. My only regret is not getting a prelit one (yeah, dumb, I know) because they only had ones with clear lights and I had in my head I MUST have coloured ones. Now I realize that I would gladly exchange the aggravation of stringing on those stupid coloured lights for the simplicity of a prelit tree.

Ours came from Stats ($$), but right after Xmas at 50% off. I'm betting that sale will begin before Xmas this year. Most come with far too many white lights for my taste. Also,I like colored lights for the family tree. Solution: unscrewed some of the white bulbs and added a string or two of my colored lights. More work( for DH:>), but still easy. Swore I'd never go this route, but as I get older the chore of all that decorating needs to start earlier. This way I can entertain on the 14th and still have a "fresh tree" 3 weeks later with no fire worries. I do get a smaller fresh one for the diningroom. Good grief! This went far beyond your 'where to find a tree' post...probably another aging symptom :./ :>O

I looked all over last year. The joke in my family is that I took longer to get a artificial tree then to buy a car. Which BTW is correct. LOL! I bought a GE frazier. Got it after Christmas for 90% off in Michael's. They did have some really nice ones in KMart by Martha Stewart that I loved but they didn't go on clearance until the end on January. ClassicTrees and a few other online places have beautiful trees but I didn't want to spend that much because I would have to keep it forever.

I don't belong to Costco but have heard a lot of people were happy with their trees.

Try Tree Classics (treeclassics.com) or Frontgate (frontgate.com). They have many trees to choose from, all pre-lit. Nice but come with a hefty price tag. We got the 9 ft. Balsam Fir from Tree Classics...

I hear that Hobby Lolly has the best artificial tress. To really get a nice, full and tall realistic looking tree, you have to be prepared to pay $$$.

I just have a couple questions/comments regarding pre-lit.

How many years do the lights last? What happens when the lights start going out? Can you replace them? If not, can you at least remove the spent bulb? It seems a shame to spend all that money on a new artificial tree and then have it looking tacky in a few years when the lights start going on.

Also - does it ever annoy you to not be able to change light colors? I have gone through "moods" over the years when I wanted white lights... all green... multi colored... with a pre-lit, you are locked in.

Interested in any thoughts on these matters - we are in the market for an "upgrade" to our cheap artificial tree we have. I'll be looking after Christmas for a good deal. :)

I switched to artifcial a few years ago so that I could start decorating earlier and take my time taking it down. I do miss that fresh tree scent.

I have had real trees my whole life...until I came across last year.
It is called the Noma Self Shaping tree. I had 30 ppl over for christmas eve last year and everyone thought it was real and did not believe that it was fake until they went and touched it.

Here is the link - from a Canadian dealer but they are sold everywhere.

Here is a link that might be useful: CHRISTMAS TREE