Bought mine artificial circa 1985ish. It cost me approximately $50.00 then. Cut trees of the same size were running only slightly less than this in that same year, and have climbed some since. I figure it's paid for itself and quite a bit more as of now.

However, the real reason I have an artificial tree is that I cannot see the sense in killing a tree every year just to have the nice smell of pine in my home. I can burn pine candles for that and avoid contributing to the tradition of killing at a season that (no matter what holiday you happen to celebrate) is about life.

Trees with root balls are out of the question for me as well...I don't have the time to bury them after the holiday, and they are *really* cost prohibitive.

So, there t'is. The thing here though is, these are my personal morals. Like with my vegetarianism, I don't expect the world to share them. They are just the ethos that guide my own actions.