Bookworm Cottage Style

I grew up in a sunny, warm climate and always had an artificial Christmas tree. My husband was born and raised in New England and was a real tree purist. So despite my environmental allergies, for the first several years of our relationship, we stuck with real trees.

Once we became homeowners and became more protective of our living space, the sap and needles began to bother my husband in a way that they didn’t before. Finally, he was ready to consider the artificial tree life. Price was also a consideration. Real tree costs have been climbing over the past few years. A fake tree would pay for itself in about 4 years.

After much hemming and hawing, we went with the King of Christmas 6.5′ Royal Fir Slim Artificial Christmas Tree Unlit. The other top contender was the Balsam Hill 7′ Silverado Slim Unlit. Both trees were the exact same price when I bought in early November 2024, so cost wasn’t a major factor in the decision.

Here are the qualities that sold us on this particular tree:

• Smaller footprint: Size was the number one factor in choosing a tree. As much as we love our enormous sectional sofa, it leaves very little space in the living room for a Christmas tree. Once we got out the tape measure, we realized that even most “slim” trees would leave very little foot space for navigating the room. The BH Silverado Slim has a diameter/width of 45″, while the KOC Royal Fir Slim has a diameter/width of 38″. The difference may not sound like much, but every inch counts in our quaint colonial home.
• Unlit: This may be controversial, but we both were drawn to unlit trees. I don’t want to deal with buying a new tree every decade or so when the lights burn out, and I want to be able to keep the lights on with abandon, without feeling the need to “save” the juice. My parents have had the same unlit tree for upwards of 3 decades and I hope that our tree will be with us for just as long. As pictured, our tree is strung with roughly 550 warm white LEDs (a few strands of a few different brands) and 75 bulbs of Jeweltone Tru-Tone Classic C7 Lights.
• Quality and realism: Balsam Hill seems to be the go-to company for high quality artificial trees. Many people I know in real life and many influencers I follow online rave about their lifelike trees. But after digging around, King of Christmas felt like a solid alternative option. The KOC branch tips have a similar lifelike look, but in my opinion, look less plastic-y and molded than the BH branch tips.

This is year two with it, and I’m still really happy with the tree. While a larger tree would look more grand, this cutie fits perfectly in our cozy living room. The branches look realistic in person and people have asked us if it’s real or fake. The best part of the tree is that it is SO EASY to assemble. It is literally just 3 pieces plus a base, and took me all of 5 minutes to put together, plus another 15 minutes or so of fluffing. There are a few gaps but I think as my light and ornament collection grows those will be less noticeable.

No regrets!

** Also, I know I don’t have a tree topper! I’m leaning towards a big beautiful bow in a tartan ribbon.