Costco Artificial Christmas tree review

Pros and cons of our Costco artificial pre-lit tree

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Review of our Costco artificial pre-lit LED Christmas tree

If you're in the market for an artificial Christmas tree and are wanting to know more about Costco's pre-lit LED tree, then you've come to the right place. I'm sharing everything that I love and don't love about our 7.5' Costco pre-lit LED Christmas tree.

We bought our tree in 2018 after having a real tree for the 12 previous years and I have no regrets. Although I do miss the days of letting our girls pick out the tree from the lot and the fresh pine scent of a real one, the benefits and investment are worth it. 

The girls are grown now, and I can use a balsam scented candle or Christmas scented diffuser if I want the house to smell like we have a real tree. 

Costco Christmas Tree Pros

There are several reasons why I love our artificial tree. 

1. Easy to assemble. It takes about 5 minutes to put the tree together, and maybe another 5 to make sure the branches are all placed where they're supposed to be. The tree comes in 3 parts that snap together.
2. It's pre-lit. I think this is the best thing about the tree. When we had an artificial tree NOBODY wanted to put the lights on it. Getting a pre-lit tree has definitely made Christmas decorating much more enjoyable. Now we just add the garlands and ornaments and that only takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Very realistic branches. One of the biggest reasons I was skeptical of artificial trees is because I was afraid they would look to plastic-y. I'm happy to say that this tree looks as realistic as almost any artificial tree I've seen at this price. You can get some that are more realistic at a higher pricepoint, but we weren't willing to spend quite that much.
4. The tree is very full. Although sparse Christmas trees and flocked trees are both becoming more popular, a full tree never goes out of style. This one is very full.
5. Various light options. There are 5 light settings and 13 brightness levels so there's something for everyone.
6. Remote control. Say what? Yes, there's a little remote that controls the lights. That didn't really factor into our decision, but I gotta say I really like it. No more having to reach all the way behind the tree to plug in the lights!
7. Costco guarantee. One thing we love about Costco is their satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like something or if you aren't satisfied, simply return it to the store. 
8. It will last for years. Yes, artificial trees are expensive. But they last for years so it's worth the investment. 

Here's a closeup of the branches so you can see how realistic they look.

    

I tucked a few artificial eucalyptus branches in the tree to add more texture to it. I did a cozy lodge theme with the tree. I've had the crocheted snowflake ornaments for years. The knitted garland and plaid ribbon definitely add coziness to the tree. 

Here's how the tree looks at night. As you can see, there are plenty of lights on it.

Now for the things I don't like about the tree.

Cons of artificial trees

1. Not real. Obviously, they're fake. But as I mentioned above, if you want the scent of a real tree you can always use a Christmas tree scented diffuser or pine scented candle.
2. It's very heavy. I can't put it together by myself because the sections are too heavy for me. If you've got good upper body strength, you could probably do it yourself. 
3. It takes up a lot of room in storage. We have ours stored in one of those rolling Christmas tree storage bags, which I definitely recommend. The one we currently have is stored flat and takes up a lot of room in our garage and lots a bit like a large body bag 😂. If you have the space for that style, they're less expensive. We're going to upgrade to one of these so it takes up less space → rolling stand up Christmas tree storage bag.
4. It's expensive. Realistic arfiticial trees are several times more expensive than real ones. But the convenience and lifetime of the trees make it worth the investment.
5. Disposal. I must say, the fact that the tree is going to eventually go into a landfill bothers me. I've read arguments for both types of trees being more environmentally friendly that you can read here: Real vs Artificial Christmas Trees - which is greener?

Here's a peek at one of our real trees from a few years ago and you can see more of it here  Snowflake Christmas Tree Decor.

What other artificial trees did we consider?

Since this is an expensive purchase that should last for years, I did lots of research. We considered several other trees before purchasing the one from Costco and they're all very nice trees too. 

Here are the other artificial trees we looked at:

• Colorado Mountain Fir from Nearly Natural
• Fraser Grande from National Tree Company
• King Fraser from King of Christmas
• Jersey Fraser from National Tree Company
• Douglas Fir from Red Sleigh
• Balsam Fir from Balsam Hill 

In the end, we went with the tree from Costco because of the guarantee and price, even though some of the others are more realistic. If you're shopping for a new tree I encourage you to look at all of them and decide which is best for you. There are many beautiful ones available today.

You can get lots of great ideas for decorating with Christmas trees throughout your home here: 12 Ways to Decorate with Christmas Trees

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about our tree that I haven't answered. I'm happy to help!