We're both allergic to pine so fake tree and fake garland all the way. Only real stuff we have is a real pine wreath on the front of the house OUTSIDE.
Try looking up freecycle
http://www.freecycle.org/ to see if anyone has a fake tree in your area that they're tired of storing and putting up every year. You might get one that's not as easy to put together but for your first year it's a start. Get a better one for next year after this season is over. You can find those $200 trees for sometimes $75 or less depending on how lucky you get and how long you wait till the end of clearance.
__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.