I have very fond memories of driving out to the Christmas tree farm (ok, HEB), to scout out that perfectly fluffed Christmas tree. And now that I have children of my own, we've made sure to give them that same experience year after year. Sure, they can be messy and a bit more trouble to maintain than their artificial versions, but nothing beats coming home to the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree.

If you're in the market for the real deal, Houston has most definitely got you covered. Specialized Christmas tree farms like Dewberry Farm and Old Time Christmas Tree Farm are great places to visit when you want an all-out holiday tree-buying experience right down to cutting the tree with your own hands. For the skim version, you may want to visit just about any Kroger grocery store - their sidewalk is lined with hundreds of reasonably priced Christmas trees beginning Thanksgiving.