Don’t melt the tree

Plastic Christmas trees? It’s an idea less palatable than a Hannukah ham:

Last year, an estimated 9.3 million artificial trees were sold in the United States, up 2 million from five years ago. And while the real tree harvest was triple that, the numbers are of major concern for growers because artificial trees can be used year after year. It has reached a point where half the trees put up in American households are made of plastic, industry experts say. The rest of the bad news for growers is that it is getting harder to tell which trees are real.

I’m sorry, but if you’re going to put up an artificial Christmas tree, you might as well just go with a menorah or an aluminum pole. Now, I respect those Christians who elect to focus solely on the spiritual aspects of Jesus Christ’s birth, but if you’re going to celebrate the traditional ones as well, by all means do it right!