Is a Balsam Hill Christmas tree worth it? What to look for vs a budget tree

11.08.2026

Is a Balsam Hill Christmas tree worth it? What to look for vs a budget tree

I am a late-in-life fake Christmas tree convert, and now connoisseur! I love the freedom they give (you can decorate two months before Christmas if you want, they won't dry out), there's no mess to clean up, they come PRE-LIT!!!, and they save you a ton of money over time. 

But... here is a huge range of options out there. Balsam Hill is kind of the gold standard, but pricey.

If you're asking whether a Balsam Hill tree is worth it, here's how I'd think about it. I compared a 7.5 ft Balsam Hill Sugarlands Spruce (Wide) with a 7 ft Costway pre-lit tree that costs a fraction of the price. The specific trees matter less than what separates them, so I'm going to focus on what to look for when you shop, whatever brand you end up with. I have also had a King of Christmas tree and they have lots of options too!

The two trees

The Balsam Hill tree I have is the Sugarlands Spruce in the 7.5 ft Wide shape with clear LED lights, marked down to $1,249 right now, from $1,699. This year I also got a budget-friendly one in my dining room, the Costway 7 ft pre-lit tree with warm white LEDs, around $190 as I write this. (See all my holiday decor and favorites here.)

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Vintage and floral little girl's room makeover

9.29.2026

Vintage and floral little girl's room makeover

My wonderful friend and her family have been through more than I can imagine the past several years and have recently moved into what was her grandparents’ home. She’s doing an amazing job creating a beautiful, comfortable home for her family but I wanted to help with her daughter’s room. This sweet and very spunky five-year-old girl has been through months of the most intensive chemo, radiation, and two bone marrow transplants and is now healthy and vibrant. 

I love the room we were able to create for her, and you have to see the "before"!

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Halfway though pregnancy 3 and how it's different this time

9.27.2026

Halfway though pregnancy 3 and how it's different this time

I’ve loved reading back to my pregnancy update posts from the previous two pregnancies and seeing what’s different as I’ve gotten older and with each baby! Another milestone now… I’m more than halfway through. 22 weeks as I post this. At our ultrasound last week, everything looked healthy and normal.

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Historic home finished basement project

9.24.2026

Historic home finished basement project

A few years ago, right before my divorce, we decided to spend the money and fully renovating our basement. Seismic stapling from the foundation to the wood, new drywall on the walls and ceiling, adding a full bathroom and quasi-bedroom, everything. I shared the details of that big renovation, including the final cost in this post.

But it’s taken me all the way until now to get the basement decorated in a beautiful way and functioning well. We now have two guestroom spaces, a TV room/workout area that we use multiple times a week, the land of Barbie houses, Christmas and future baby storage, tools and overflow paper towels, etc., plus, of course the laundry room and full bathroom. And just this week, we added an extra fun function to the TV room: a beverage fridge and wine storage!

Fully Renovated Basement and Finishing Touches

The basement is about 1,100 SF and I played around with a lot of layouts before settling on this one years ago. I covered up the furnace with walls and a door, I made the basement feel like a hangout space rather than just utilities. And it turns out that space, plus the existing columns we wrapped in drywall, have carved out a very nice little nook for Lucy's Barbie world.

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Calm playroom makeover and high impact window coverings

9.22.2026

Calm playroom makeover and high impact window coverings

Oh, how I love a simple room makeover--I swear all this room needed was Roman shades and curtains, and a rug!

My friends just replaced their carpet with hardwoods to match their hallway, and now all their rooms have so much more potential. This room went from forgotten brown office to fun playroom right off the main parts of their home!

Simple Playroom Makeover

We made this room fun for kids, plus pretty for my friend.

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Much-needed simple garage makeover

9.16.2026

Much-needed simple garage makeover

This was basically the last space in this house to get renovated! I've touched every room, the yard, the exterior, even the roof... all that was left was this garage and maybe some closets, ha! It wasn't a priority, just an eyesore that made me feel a little yucky, until we decided to get married in our backyard. I knew all our family and friends would see it if they walked through, plus I wanted a nice clean space for the catering folks. So we got motivated and decided to redo it!

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How I DIYed My Wedding Flowers with Flower Moxie: Cost, Tips & Photos

8.02.2026

How I DIYed My Wedding Flowers with Flower Moxie: Cost, Tips & Photos

Leading up to the wedding, when anyone asked me what I was most excited for, I said the flowers! I knew they would be fabulous because I had done a consultation call with a floral design designer from Flower Moxie, and she completely understood my vision and helped me figure out which flowers I needed and how many. I was a little nervous about the DIY process, but I knew I would have my future mother-in-law helping, plus all the guides that Flower Moxie gave us.

Non-iPhone photos by Marissa Casillas Photography.

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First trimester in your later 30s

7.30.2026

First trimester in your later 30s

It is surreal and so happy to be sharing about my third pregnancy at 38, six and eight years later after my first two and after divorce and losses of other kinds. I’ve always wanted three kids, but a couple years ago I was pretty sure it was never going to happen, and I accepted how lucky I am to have two wonderful kids already. But then I met Micah, and we both wanted the same things… Get married, have another baby, accept all the changes that come with such a big lifestyle shift at this point in life.

But all that to say, I knew going into it that pregnancy is not a walk in the park, but also, things change as you get older. This pregnancy has a few differences from the last two, and I seriously enjoyed reading back to those posts when I was seven weeks in and feeling awful… So here’s this post for documenting this incredible and very weird time. 

The kids are so sweet and excited

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Why I made my wedding dress (and how I did it in 3 days)

7.24.2026

Why I made my wedding dress (and how I did it in 3 days)

I just got married again, a much smaller wedding but my first wedding when I was 23. I thought I would keep things simple and choose a store-bought dress, but… It didn’t work out. Of course not!

Let me tell you the story, and how my mom and I did it in three days.

Non-iPhone photos by Marissa Casillas Photography.

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