Hallmark Channel and Balsam Hill Trees

This post is brought to you by Balsam Hill. 

Hallmark Channel and Balsam Hill® Trees

Any Hallmark Channel fanatics out there?  At this time of the year, many of the commercials feature the beautiful Balsam Hill Trees.  I’ve always gotten lost in the idea of one of those beautiful trees sitting in my living room.

Then I’d see so many of my blogger friends partnering with Balsam Hill.  I was so jelly… seriously.  Well, this year — my Hallmark Channel and Balsam Hill tree dreams came true!  

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Recently Balsam Hill reached out and asked if I would join them in a little comparison (this or that) partnership.  What do you think I said?  YES, I said yes… and I might have squealed a bit with excitement.  

So, in fact, I received TWO trees.  Both are 7.5′ Noble Fir trees.  Of course, the one was from Balsam Hill and the other was from a big box store retailer.  

Did you know the Noble Fir is one of America’s most popular Christmas tree styles?   Yep.  The Noble Fir is native to Northwest and Northern California and is trucked across the country to Christmas tree lots nationwide.

Reading that made me think of all the real trees we had growing up.  Going with the family to pick a tree out was always a highlight and I have some good and not-so-good memories of the decorating and watering (haha).

“O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree
How lovely are thy branches…”

I chose the Balsam Hill tree first, then moved on to the big box store.  The Balsam Hill tree branches on the noble fir draped downward so beautifully.  However, it did set the bar fairly high in picking a second tree.   

The second tree I chose from a big-box retailer is made by the National Tree Company.  Of course, I had to choose both trees based on the on-line pictures and descriptions.   Some things aren’t always accurately pictured or described, I’m sure you can relate to that.

Let’s start with some of the basic details in regard to each of the trees.

Balsam Hill 

Height: 7.5′
Width: 62″
Candlelight Clear LED
Lights: 1035
Branch Tips:  2989
Price: $1,249

One of the best features of this tree is the easy EASY PLUG™ system.  Friends, it incorporates all of the light connections in the trunk of the tree, so lighting your tree is as simple as plugging it into a socket.  No clunky plugs hanging inside the tree.  It’s a genius feature! 

Big Box Store

Height:  7.5′
Width: 62″
Incandescent Clear Lights
Lights: 850
Branch Tips: 2702
Price: $374.68

Accessories:

Over the many years of buying and decorating trees, I think it’s safe to say that the basic accessory to come with a tree is the tree stand.  Am I right?

Well, my Balsam Hill tree came with some fabulous accessories.  Like what?  I thought you’d never ask.  They provide three separate bags for storage.  One for the tree stand, one for the bottom portion of the tree, and one for the top portion of the tree. Seriously, storage bags make carrying and storing so much more manageable.  Plus, we store in our attic — so that can get tricky with big boxes.  Oh, and did I mention they provide gloves for the fluffing? Amazing.

Unfortunately, the big box store tree came with only a tree stand — so back in the box it will have to go.  Putting a tree back in its original packaging is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.  Practically impossible.  I can’t imagine how much packaging tape we’ve used over the years sealing up the tree boxes year after year.

Lights:

The pictures speak for themselves.  As you can see (scroll down a couple of pictures), the big-box store tree lights seem a little obnoxious, in my humble opinion.  Balsam Hill has candlelight clear LED lights and they just look effortless and beautiful.  However, they’re designed to look like candlelight and emit a soft warm glow.  Balsam Hill has also provided an On/off foot pedal on this tree.  Much better than having to bend over and plug it in.

The box store tree has the traditional plug — so unless you set up a timer or add an extension cord, it requires you to crouch down and often fight the branches to plug it in.  If you have some little kiddos, they’re usually eager to do that for you (wink-wink).  So, what do you think?

Balsam Hill

Big Box Store Tree

How much is a Balsam Hill tree?

They have trees pricing in range from $300 all the way up to $2000.  They range from traditional to most realistic and sparse to full, etc.  There are so many beautiful options.  

Of course I could list all the reasons I love the Balsam Hill tree; however, we all know that a tree is chosen based on personal preferences and budget.  I highly recommend this beautiful tree — and suggest that you always take the time to thoroughly fluff a tree.  The fluffing can make a world of difference.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  What do you think of these two trees after hearing and seeing some of the differences?  In the meantime, I’ll be cozying up on the couch to watch some more holiday movies on the Hallmark channel (wink-wink).

Pssst! Keep an eye out for a decorated version of my new tree.  Here’s a peek at my inspiration…

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