Can you have a real Christmas with a fake tree?

It's December. Time to get real for Jodi Yorke.
Late last week, Yorke, her husband, Brendan, and their 2-year-old son, Owen, went to the Christmas tree lot at Broadway and Montrose to pick out a tree -- a real tree.

Although Brendan grew up grabbing presents under an artificial tree -- Jodi's family went the real route.

"There's definitely something about the smell," she said before Brendan loaded up their selection -- a roughly 7-footer -- for the trip back to their Uptown home.

With images of spray-on snow and tacky plastic needles dancing in their heads many holiday purists dismiss fake Christmas trees.

Pragmatists tally the time and energy spent growing and buying a real tree and tending it indoors, and see advantages in the artificial: not having to clean up needles and sap or even add lights.

While environmental concerns weigh in favor of real trees and artificial trees cost less over time, it may be most helpful to think of your tree choice as a question of style.

Do you cherish braving the chill winter air -- the whole family heading to a tree farm -- to choose a tree? Or is the natural aroma of pine, fir or spruce outweighed by the predictability of a perfect tree that's always the right height for your living room?

Here are some ways to compare.

• The price. A real tree can cost less than $10 but typically runs closer to $100 or more, depending on size and species. Artificial trees generally sell for $25 to about $400 but can hit $2,000, depending on size and features such as lighting and stands and extras like storage bags.

• The hassle. Real trees can bring some real headaches. Even with proper watering, a pine purchased at Thanksgiving may be crispy by Christmas, and the dropped needles can keep surfacing for months.

• The environment. If you see the tragedy of unrealized potential in the brevity of a Christmas tree's moment in the spotlight, take heart. Most real Christmas trees are reused; close to 5,000 private and municipal programs across the country grind holiday trees into mulch or landscaping chips.

Farmed trees grow in roughly the same density as natural trees, so they absorb similar amounts of carbon dioxide. Fake trees in good condition can be donated or resold. But once fake trees start getting worn, they often end up in landfills.

At the tree lot at Montrose and Broadway, Mara and Tony Lindsay and their 1-year-old son, Rowan, chose a real tree. Tony's family has always had real trees, but that might be changing. His mother is getting an artificial tree this year because she doesn't want the hassle of a live tree.

"Sacrilege!" Mara said. "Tony told her he wasn't going to go to her house for Christmas if she got an artificial tree.

"Christmas is about new life. it's always nice to have a reminder of that."