Ok.
You have made the decision to purchase your Christmas tree from a wide variety of artificial Christmas trees this season.
What is the next step? How do you go about making that final decision as to which tree will grace your home? Specialized Christmas decorating stores that seem to grow over night during the Christmas season are a great place to begin your research.
You can walk through a veritable forest of brightly decorated trees or all sizes, shapes and colors.
Your tour of the store will most likely expose you to such replicas of nature that will astound you as to how truly realistic they are.
Great strides that have been made since the first artificial Christmas trees were introduced, resulting in great replicas of the Norway Spruce, California Cedar, the Montana Pine and various firs.
Not only will you notice various shades of green as you explore the color and texture of the trees, but you will readily notice that there are also "designer" trees - trees that don't attempt to mimic natural trees in their appearance.
You will discover on this outing that artificial Christmas trees will come in all sizes, ranging from tabletop size to sizes that will most certainly do cathedral type ceilings justice.
You will also find a great disparity of prices that can range from less than $100 to prices for commercial trees that could exceed the value of the vehicle you drive.
Artificial Christmas trees are no longer restricted to just indoor space.
Many trees are available for lining walkways, pathways, and driveways.
In addition, these trees offer opportunities for strategic placement within your decorating pattern.
To some, you will need to add your specific lighting, while others will come pre-lit and possibly battery operated.
While most artificial Christmas trees sold in the United States are imported from China, some trees are manufactured in the United States under the Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines for the type of materials used.
Many artificial trees consist of Polyvinyl Chloride stabilized with lead during the manufacturing process.
Over a period of time these trees could produce toxic residue Lead free artificial trees do exist and at least one U.
S.
manufacturer uses barium as a stabilizing agent instead of lead.
So how do you go about selecting that perfect artificial tree for your personal use? Here are some guidelines to help:

1. Establish a budget.
   Since the price of trees vary greatly, you will need to decide how much you can afford to spend.
   
2. Evaluate the type of decorations you are going to use.
   If you are planning to purchase new decorations, be sure to include those in your overall spending budget.
   
3. Consider tree placement.
   You will want to place the tree in a location where it can provide the most enjoyment.
   However, you should also ensure that it doesn't block any exits from the living quarters.
   
4. Decide if the tree is for indoor or outdoor use.
   This will have a bearing on the type of lighting and decorations that can be used.
   
5. Choose the style of tree that most appeals to you.
   This could be a cedar, a pine, a fir, or a designer tree.
   

By establishing your budget for both the artificial Christmas tree and the associated decorations, planning the tree placement and opting for the tree that pleases your eye, you will be able to enjoy this tree for many years to come.