Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or an artificial one? It’s the great yuletide debate that rears its head every December. While the convenience of an artificial tree can’t be ignored, real Christmas tree proponents cite the tradition (and pine-y scent) as a vital component of the Christmas experience.
With the holiday season now in full swing, BetMissouri.com - your home for the best Missouri sports betting coverage - is looking to settle this longstanding debate amongst local residents once and for all. To do so, we used Google Trends to compare how often people in Missouri searched for “real Christmas trees” versus “artificial Christmas trees” between November 30 and Christmas Day 2023. Here are the results:
Missouri Christmas Tree Preferences
| Type | Score |
| Real Tree | 59 |
| Artificial Tree | 10 |
Missouri Metro Preferences
| Metro | Type | Percentage of Preference |
| St. Louis | Real Tree | 99% |
| Kansas City | Real Tree | 56% |
| Springfield | Artificial Tree | 44% |
Based on search engine score alone, Christmas tree traditionalists have a huge edge over artificial tree lovers. While this rang true across Missouri, there are some interesting observations to ponder if we localize our findings to the state’s major metropolitan areas. For instance, our web-traffic research suggested that a whooping 99% of St. Louis residents preferred a real tree to a fake one, whereas in Kansas City and Springfield this number was closer to 56%.
However, search engine interest is only one part of the story. According to a 2024 consumer report from the American Christmas Tree Association, only 22% of Americans will be displaying a real Christmas tree in their home this year. It also stands to reason that those looking for a real Christmas tree would be more likely to turn to Google in their hunt than those who simply need to retrieve their plastic tree from the basement.
In case you were wondering, the roots of the Christmas tree tradition began in Germany during the late-medieval period. The tree was an important set-piece used to represent the Garden of Eden in festive plays about Adam and Eve. Over time, the “Tannenbaum” (which means fir tree in German) found its way into German homes. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the tradition had spread across Europe and eventually around the world.
And while real Christmas trees obviously outdate fake ones, the origins of the artificial tree date back further than its plastic needles would suggest. The first “fake” Christmas trees also originated in Germany. Beginning in the late-1800s, dyed goose feathers adhered to wire branches were used to create the very first artificial “Tannenbaums.”
For those Missouri residents still searching for their holiday evergreen, consider checking out the Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association, which hosts a tree locator page on its website (https://missourichristmastrees.org/tree-locator/). Unfortunately, many Missouri Christmas tree farms will have wrapped up operations for the year by now. But it’s definitely not too late to buy an artificial tree — like we said, they are convenient!
Author
Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for BetMissouri.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
