What should I do?

Cleaning the basement earlier this month, I noticed the artificial tree in the corner. The only time it moves is when I vacuum around it. We bought it about five years ago after the pine needles from a live tree aggravated my wife so much she decided she preferred a fake one. I was thrilled. Mom and Dad always had live trees, sometimes more than one, but my mother’s mother always had an artificial one and even then I could imagine a Christmas without having to trudge into the woods or to some tree farm to cut and haul out a Christmas tree on a cold December day. My grandmother was very practical, I thought.

Even the $250 plus price tag on the artificial tree didn’t spoil my mood. No more driving to lots and arguing with Mary about her endless search for the perfectly-shaped tree. A half hour later when we got home and put the tree in the front room she always found an imperfection and complained that it was my fault for rushing her and another argument ensued. It cost me more than I expected, but I enjoyed my first Christmas without a real tree and thought my grandmother would be proud.

Shortly after the following Thanksgiving I asked my wife if she wanted the tree brought up from the basement so she could decorate it nice and early. “That’s the advantage of having an artificial one. We can get it up nice and early,” I exclaimed.
To my surprise, she didn’t want it carried up.
“I want a real tree,” she said. “Everyone in your family has a real one. Your parents had two last Christmas.”
So we had had another argument. I was surprised to learn that I had pressured her into buying an artificial tree she never wanted and now I was intent on ruining another Christmas by forcing her to display that terrible fake tree that everyone in my family would make fun of. A couple of weeks later we went to a lot and picked out a live tree. The artificial one stayed in the basement.

“I saw a place in Cheshire that was selling trees for 19 dollars,” Mary told me about three weeks ago. “I just hope I can find it again.”
I didn’t respond.
A week later, Mary and I were riding at night with my oldest son Michael. The two of them were talking about staying within our Christmas budget.
“Why don’t we use the artificial tree this year and save the money for an extra Christmas present?,” I asked. They didn’t respond.

It is 10 days before Christmas and we have no tree up. I’m wondering if I should set a date later this week to get a live tree or just bring the artificial one up from the basement and surprise everyone.

Let me know what you think.