My Balsam Hill Christmas tree is the crown jewel of holiday decorating

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The Realism

There are three levels of realism for Balsam Hill Christmas trees:

• Traditional: These are the types of trees most people are familiar with. This style is generally more cost-effective, and Balsam Hill uses 100% polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to create what it calls “Classic Needle” foliage.
• Realistic: Balsam Hill’s Realistic trees use up to 65% polyethylene (PE) to create what the brand calls “True Needle” foliage. The remainder of the tree foliage is Classic Needle, mostly on the interior and close to the bottom, which helps achieve the realism you want with the budget you have.
• Most Realistic: When you think of Balsam Hill, these are the trees that come to mind. These trees use more than 65% True Needle foliage for outstanding realism, with Classic Needles deeper in the tree near the trunk to add fullness and depth.

If you aren’t sure where to start, it’s OK. I wasn’t quite sure either. Given this is what Balsam Hill is known for, it should be no surprise that it has a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide on how to pick a tree.

When perusing the Balsam Hill website, the 7.5-foot pre-lit Balsam Fir Flip Tree, which falls within the “Most Realistic” category, seemed absolutely perfect.

My Tree Delivery

In my line of work, I have a tendency to get a lot of packages. This means I have the pleasure of getting to know my FedEx delivery person.

“What’s in here!? A person?” he asked, dragging the coffin-sized box across my front lawn as I opened my front door. With delight, I replied: “My new Christmas tree!”

It was clear from the start that this wouldn’t be some rinky-dink bargain-basement artificial Christmas tree that would instantly make me regret my decision. I got the box inside and took a step back – this would be a serious endeavor. I couldn’t wait to open it up and see it in all its glory.

The Set Up

The setup was surprisingly easy. I started by rolling the sophisticatedly secured tree out of the box. I was delivered upright, so all that was required was releasing the clasp that held the bagged tree sturdy and in place.

Once I had the tree out of the box and where I wanted it, I quickly ripped open the velcro to reveal what appeared to be a broken Christmas tree. It seemed much wider at the top than the bottom, and the wire arms and Classic needles gave me fake tree vibes.

Before I went further, I watched the easy setup YouTube video above. I didn’t believe it would be as easy as the minute-and-a-half it insisted it would be. So when it was actually that easy, I was gobsmacked.

As instructed, I locked the wheels and put my foot on the side of the tree stand stated in the video, and very quickly and easily flipped the tree over. Now, those traditional artificial tree branches acting as filler deep within the bottom of the tree all but disappeared beneath hyperrealistic fir branches.

So, there’s half the tree; where’s the rest, you ask? Packaged carefully in its own Rudolph red velcro bag, specially designed to keep the top portion of the tree safe and shaped.

I opened the smaller bag with another rip of velcro and quickly inserted its trunk into the opening of the base, and that was it.

I got a pre-lit tree, which required the additional step of connecting the power when attaching the top and base, but after that, I was just about done.

The Zhuzhing

The last step, which is more so for first-timers, is to fluff and shape the tree into an organic appearance that reflects the realistic look of the full greenery.

In case you’re wondering, Balsam Hill also accounted for that by including not one, but two pairs of gloves that make digging deep in the branches to shape them without worrying about getting poked by sharp “needles.”

Taking It Down

Well, if I thought putting this tree up was easy, I was in for a treat when it came to taking it down. Sadly, we laypeople still need to take all the ornaments off and pack them in our coordinated storage containers.

However, once that part of the breakdown is complete, forget about dealing with unruly strings of lights, dry, sharp needles, or dumping gloopy water from a rusty tree stand. This tree costs a premium for a reason. The design removes the actual work from having a tree so that all you have to do is enjoy it.

Unplug the single string of lights, remove the top third of the tree and place it in the red velcro bag (or this handy rolling Christmas tree storage box). Next, unlock the base wheels and give a good thrust – like magic, it flips upside down and assumes its at-ease position until next year.

The one element that was a little tricky – I hesitate even to go as far as to say difficult – was getting the big red bag wrapped and velcroed around the base of the tree. Once it has been shaped and fluffed up enough for celebration, it didn’t want to fit in the bag as well as before.

My Balsam Hill Tree Verdict

If you are in the market for an artificial Christmas tree, I highly recommend you start with the best there is — Balsam Hill trees.

Decorating this lifelike tree makes me feel like I have been accepted to a Christmas club I didn’t know I needed.

I’m looking forward to plugging in my favorite Homecourt Balsam scent cleaning products (my latest obsession), lighting a real fire and cuddling up on the couch for a long winter’s night.

It’s easy to say that it doesn’t matter how realistic your Christmas tree looks, but once you have another cheap plastic tree, it will look like another cheap plastic tree, and those just don’t look nearly as good or last nearly as long as a durable tree built with future family festivities in mind.

If you’re looking for a cheap throwaway tree, keep looking. However, if you’re looking for the last tree, you’ll ever need to buy, welcome to the club.