Christmas Tree- real or fake?

One of each

When my husband and I first moved in together our Christmad tree was one from the local green grocer, who threw it out as it was so ugly.
It was in the gutter. All muddy and bare of spines(?). We asked and he let us take it home. We were broke, and were given some lights that only worked if we cut out the wire that had the broken ones on. Thin silver tinsle. But it was the best tree we ever had.

???? I've just realised that sounds like a good Christmas story.....
Little Nell rummaging through the cast off trees, whilst the blizzard blew around her. Then along came the kindly grocer......

Did you stand around it, wearing Christmas jumpers, singing carols, with a measly little fire flickering in the background?

fake indoors for many years now because of pine needles and bare feet/dog's paws. Real outside though.

We're renting a tree this year, too. Delivery expected next week but we'll keep it in the garden until the 18th or so. We've chosen a 5ft one for our rather small living room.

Cost is £60 net of deposit; a bit pricey but hopefully rather better for the environment than the other options. I have thought about crocheting a full size tree but that is a project which will definitely need to wait for retirement.

We never had a real tree as kids and I have carried on the fake tradition.

I bought a small one in a pot two years ago and had two Christmases with it, but sadly this year while planted in the garden it lost a lot of its needles. So, I've bitten the bullet and bought an expensive one from John Lewis which I intend to see me down. And as someone has said earlier, if you use a fake tree for over ten years, its carbon footprint is pretty good.

I used to offset the price of a real tree against a really good flower arrangement. £40 for a tree that is the centre of attention for 3 - 4 weeks (longer than flowers would last in a December heated room) and a real tree would be seen to be a bargain.

But when my husband left 10 years ago I bought a fake tree and I no longer suffer the guilt of cutting it to bits in January ... Fakes can be quite realistic now, but I do so miss the smell.

No tree for me this year as I've sold my house and am short term renting, so it may be I'll be buying some beautiful flowers after all.

(maybe I should have said I miss the smell of a real tree, not the smell of the husband!!!)

We no have 2 fake trees - one in the lounge and one in the kitchen /diner.
We always used to have real trees when we were growing up until the tinselly ones became available and my mother confessed she was sick of vacuuming up the needles!
When my son was little, the tinsel tree needed replacing and I can remember racing between garden centres the day before Christmas Eve to find a real tree and ending up with a blue spruce that was in a pot and only 2 feet tall!
This year will be the first with our new cat who not only loves to climb but is quite likely to knock every ornament off the tree!

Always purchased real one and kept outdoors until two days before Christmas Eve when brought indoors and decorated on Christmas Eve. 3 years ago just could not afford the cost of a real one, double the previous year so invested in a JL one. Glad I did, no mess and easy to erect and put away. Don't even miss the smell now.

I have a lovely little artificial tree made from pine cones sprayed gold. However this year I fancy a small real tree in a pot. Sainsbury have some lovely ones for £10 each. They are very manageable in size and with a string of twinkly lights would look great. I can put the tree into the garden after Christmas.

I can't imagine Christmas without a real tree! I love going to choose one and bringing it home, it's all part of the build up to our Christmas.

Grandmabatty

I saw this on Mumsnet and wondered what grans thought. I always had a real tree, ceremoniously bought by my dad, bless him. My ex would make a meal of putting it up and be very unpleasant about it. My son took over and would help me put it up. I swore by a real tree. Then one Christmas a few years back I was very skint. I told the kids I wasn't going to bother with a tree but they weren't fooled. They combined their money and bought me a lovely fake one. I was so touched. The benefit is, I can put it up single handed now I live alone. I don't think I'll ever go back to a real tree. Which do you have and why?

That is lovely, it must mean so much more than any other tree however splendid.

I've got an artificial tree, it is very modern and definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a real one. I thought if I'd go artificial I'd go the whole hog.

Swapped a real tree for an artificial one some years ago due to the needle drop. Bought it at Marko about 5 yrs ago and replaced a lot of the baubles when Costco reduced them after Christmas. Won’t be putting it up this year as we’re spending Christmas in Lanzarote this year. Will just have to look at the attached photo instead ???

When I was at school, the 50s so not so commercialised, the nuns would find a broken branch from a tree, we would paint it white with a bit of silver on the tips and then decorate it with milk bottle tops. Red/blue/silver/gold and green, they'd be washed and sort of squashed into a bell shape and hung on thread. I often think they were the loveliest Christmas trees as lots of love and effort, nothing wasted and no tree chopped down.

One thing is clear from this thread. JL overstock on Christmas trees and sell them off in January. Maybe someone should have a word.

3 take yes in the loft but not bothered to put one up in over a decade.

Even though most fake trees are plastic they're far more environmentally friendly if you keep them for 10+years, I heard a few days ago that the optimum is 20yrs!

MissAdventure

Did you stand around it, wearing Christmas jumpers, singing carols, with a measly little fire flickering in the background?

Of course!
But I darned the jumpers using hair I'd saved all year from my hairbrush.
And we lived in a shoe box, so no fire.....???

Real ???

but every year I have a moan about the needles falling when we move it after Christmas.

Had real one once but it ended up dying my cream carpet green where the pines landed must have been damp. So now it’s fake all the way.

theworriedwell thank you. You understand why this fake tree is important to me ❤️.
Some lovely photos of trees so many thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I've had a artificial tree for 20 years and I love it