We love real Christmas trees but need something at our age that won't dry-out so fast or make my spouse nuts with adding strings of lights, so this seems a good alternative. We haven't opened out the branches yet, but think they will be nice and full when we do. The needles are a mix of the stiffer "realistic" plastic ones, and the flatter "fluffy" faux-silk ones. The tree is a darker green than what we're used to, but we'll see how it looks when all decorated for the holidays. I do wish the lights alternated between white/colored but at this price, you can't have it all! We hope it will be durable and look great in our family room.