Oddly enough, I have not felt compelled to justify buying a fake tree. I made it through a 7-hour party last week without one word about the not-real tree in the corner of my living room.

The satisfaction of having none of the real tree chores gives me supreme confidence. By getting that fake tree, I saved myself 8 hours of work this December alone. Next year, I’ll save another 8. By then, I’ll have broken even financially. And I’ll keep putting up that fake tree until I have kids that need a good Christmas memory.