Do Virginia Locals Prefer a Real or Artificial Christmas Tree?

Thanks to the presence of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the central portion of the state and a handful of forests throughout the commonwealth, there’s no shortage of local options that Virginia residents can choose each holiday season when they’re looking for that perfect Christmas tree.

Then again, you have a sizable portion of the state’s populace that believes that artificial Christmas trees add the ease of use and sustainability needed to shine each year. But which one is the preferred option in the land of Virginia sportsbooks?

Holiday season is in full swing. At BetVirginia.com, we wonder whether locals in the commonwealth prefer real or artificial Christmas trees. We compared Google Trends search interest scores for the phrases “real Christmas trees” and “artificial Christmas trees.” The search period was from Nov. 30 to Dec. 25, 2023, and results were filtered to only include Virginia.

Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Loses

Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Must be 21+ to participate & present in VA. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms & Conditions. US promotional offers not available in NY, NV, or Puerto Rico.

Virginia Christmas Tree Preferences

Type	Score
Artificial Tree	4
Real Tree	3

When broken down by search interest totals, one can see that the split between natural and fake Christmas tree enthusiasts is quite thin. The latter grabs a one-point search interest score total victory over the former. Artificial trees drew a score of four during the time span we studied, while natural trees had a search interest score of three in Virginia.

BetVirginia.com provides lifestyle stories, plus sports coverage and the best Virginia sportsbook promos available.

Virginia Metro Preferences

Metro	Type	Pct. of Preference
Roanoke-Lynchburg	Artificial Tree	100%
Richmond-Petersburg	Real Tree	58%
Norfolk-Portsmouth	Real Tree	55%

To break it down further, two of the three largest metropolitan areas in Virginia (the Richmond-Petersburg and Norfolk-Portsmouth regions) opted for the real thing over artificial trees, as you can see in the breakdown above.

The lone portion of the state surveyed that chose artificial trees over real ones was the Roanoke-Lynchburg MSA, which picked plastic over wood unanimously (perhaps in a small sample size), illustrating just how much the southern commonwealth area likes artificial trees.

Still, when it comes to the state of Virginia at large, it seems like there’s no consensus to be found about whether real trees of artificial ones are better. Both hold their own cliques of followers as the 2024 Christmas season arrives in the Old Dominion once again.

But before we get too wrapped up in Christmas, check out Virginia’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes at BetVirginia.com.

USA Today Network photo by Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger

Bet $5, Get $150 If Your Bet Wins

21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min. $5 bet. Max. $150 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets if your bet wins. Bonus Bets expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: dkng.co/bball. Ends 1/5/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DraftKings. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER,

Author

Christopher Boan

@cgboan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.