We had a real tree for the whole time I was growing up. After my dad died in 94, my mom and I still continued to get a real tree. However, the whole ritual of tree shopping was just sad. A few years later we both realized that carrying on the tradition was just hurting us more than helping us, so we got a fake tree at Hobby Lobby.
When I have a family of my own, I'll have a real tree. But for mom and me, its just so much easier to have an artificial one. Two 5'3 women trying to lug an 8 foot tree into the house is not a pretty site!
