Real tree! Growing up, we would go out to the wood to chop a tree down and bring home. It never costed us any money. However, nowadays, we just go to a tree farm and chop our tree down. Right now, I live in the capital city, so it's hard to do that. A friend donated a tree to our family last year, but this year, I think we will buy a tree.
All the mess never really bothered me. Fake trees can be as messy if you put a lot of tinsels on it.