I was skeptical since some said it was sparse, however, if you fluff the branches (some of them are right next to each other toward the back, so make sure you are fluffing one at a time for the first time) it is very nice.  With ornaments you don't see the pole in the middle.  It's very beautiful and I love all the lighting selections.  clear, multi dark, multi light, blinking, and rotating between multi and clear.