Should apartment buildings ban real Christmas trees?

I’m trying to decide what kind of Christmas tree to buy this year. Last weekend, I pulled my standard plastic version out of storage. A cheap Zellers’ special, it’s kale green and stands about knee high. It perches nicely on an end table—really an appropriate size for my tiny living room.

But as I pulled at the scratchy “branches” in an attempt to re-form it back into a vaguely natural shape, I realized it just wasn’t going to cut it. I want a real tree this year.

Unlike many apartment buildings, mine doesn’t ban live Christmas trees. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind if it did. I figure there are enough fire hazards in this building already with people lighting candles and incense left and right. Who needs superfluous kindling lying around?

But this 2009 CBC article profiles a tenant who challenged her landlords’ no-fresh-tree policy, claiming that real Christmas trees pose no more of a fire hazard than fake ones.

For me, it’s a moot point: I have no room for a towering Douglas Fir, and no inclination to deal with the hassle. But I’m scouting out pint-sized alternatives. Perhaps a live, potted Norfolk pine that I can tinsel up. Or even a large potted rosemary plant—the scent is so lovely and fresh. (And bonus, handy for cooking!)

What do all you apartment-dwellers out there do? Decorate your Ikea floor lamps?

Carolyn Ali blogs for renters, buyers, and dreamers at Real Estate Refugee, where this post originally appeared. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/carolynali.