To prefer to fake it every time...

[Wonderous]

Christmas trees of course I honestly don't get the need for a real tree. Yes they smell nice but why cut down a living thing that's taken years to grow just for decoration because I never have fresh flowers lol

Real trees seem all spindly and a bit weird, not like my lovely bushy fake tree complete with pine cones and berries. And even get me started on the hassle of getting rid of a real tree in January.

So over to you - are you a faker and proud or AIBU?

[Vitalstatistix]

fake all the way.

I had this idea about how wonderful a real tree would be and so one year I finally did it.

NEVER. EVER. AGAIN.

I was picking up pine needles for a bloody month. It was prickly and awful and getting rid of it was a gigantic pain in the arse.

And for what? a couple of weeks with a tree in my living room instead of something that looks just like a tree but doesn't shed all over my living room and can be neatly packed away on new year's day.

My fake one has been going strong for years and will outlast me!

[divingoffthebalcony]

I'll never get a real tree. I don't have the room for a start, but I can't be doing with the faff and the mess either. And it does feel wrong, cutting a tree down just so I could put it in my house for a few weeks.

[Wonderous]

What I find weird is that some real tree-ers seem almost evangelistic about them and seem to look down their noses at fakers as if we're lazy for not wanting a real one

[Vitalstatistix]

Do they?

I must admit I've not come across that. They can if they want to though, that's fine. I love my fake tree and its total absence of shedded needles and I'm not bothered what other people think. (about anything, ever. But that's a thread for another day )

I am not sure shedded is a word.

Everyone can judge me for that if they like

[Idontseeanysontarans]

I prefer fake trees but you can hire a real potted one in some areas, the trees are planted after Christmas. we looked at doing it but it's pretty expensive for what amounts to about 10 days.

[TurtledoveTamer]

I would never have a real one, I don't even like the smell of them.

[Pointlessfan]

I love having a real tree and it is much better for the environment to grow a tree which can then be completed than to use all that oil to make a plastic one that will eventually end up in landfill.

[SaucyJack]

Fake.

I think there's something quite depressing about murdering cutting down a lovely big happy tree just so's it can sit in your lounge for two weeks, and then get binned.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Nah, that's too simple - Id like to see an actual figure on that. If you use a fake tree for more than one year I'm sure that very quickly it will take over cutting down a real tree every year (and there is often transport costs with real trees too)

[foolonthehill]

I'm allergic to the real ones....but we usually have one all the same. Complete P in the A. Needles everywhere, etc etc but I love them.

Green wise the growing of Christmas trees protects green spaces/forests. young trees capture more carbon than mature trees although you can debate exactly what the difference is until the cows come home!

Having said that this year our old plastic one will be on show....Christmas has to last long this time and the tree will be up for the whole of Advent and Christmas instead of our usual 2 weeks. Looking forward to the needle free pack up already...and will be buying a Christmas tree scented candle (whilst hoping that the DC don't notice).

Mad thing to do sticking a tree in your living room anyway!!!!!!!

[makeitabetterplace]

Wonderous - a fake tree with pine cones sounds lovely - where do you get it from?

[iwantgin]

Fake all the way here too.
Our trees will last years. The newest was purchased three years ago and so far looks great so will no doubt last another 10 years.

My old one which I purchased in the mid 90 s when I bought my first house gets set up in the back garden with lights.

So neither will be going to landfill any time soon.

Real trees never look as full and bouncy. Yes the smell is Christmassy but the prickly needles all over the house are horrid

[Idontseeanysontarans]

Article from the Ecologist on Christmas Trees here:
www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/1711560/eco_christmas_trees.html

[Idontseeanysontarans]

Oh poo, am on the app, forgot it doesn't do proper links.

[TipseyTorvey]

We have a big fake one that we bought 12 years ago with the plan that we would use it til we pop our clogs to mitigate the landfill thing. We did get quite an expensive one for that very reason though. I love it as it just comes down from the loft every year and is up in minutes and again takes minutes to pack away once it's all over. Love the real pine cones idea though! Might have to go scavenging... I do fill the house with real holly though as have a massive tree in the garden. I just can't be doing with the pine needle mess I remember from my childhood and the palava of getting rid of it, it used to sit in the front garden for weeks!

[lemisscared]

Fake here too - but isn't growing christmas trees meant to be good for the environment?

A friend of mine has one in the garden that she brings in every year which is a nice thing to do but im too lazy

I fake my orgasms too

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Fake. I'm spending the next month or so after vacuuming up the left overs, that'll probably get stuck in mine or DD's feet.

[Pointlessfan]

No transport for us, we live within walking distance of the Xmas tree farm! Going to choose the tree is my absolute favourite part of Christmas although I am worried about the Xmas tree/crawling baby combo this year!

[foolonthehill]

The Pros and Cons of Artificial
Guilt. The thought of cutting down a new tree each year.
cost, convenience and environmental impact are other reasons consumers opt for an artificial tree.
Given the current economic climate, artificial trees may be appealing for their investment value, they don’t need watering, don’t leave pine needles all over the floor and transportation from tree farm to home isn’t an issue.
But many experts believe artificial trees actually have a greater negative environmental impact when all aspects of an their life cycle are considered.
Today’s artificial trees are typically manufactured with metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a non-biodegradable, petroleum-derived plastic.

Despite their PVC contents, artificial trees are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable, meaning they will sit in a landfill for centuries after disposal.

Furthermore, approximately 85 percent of artificial trees sold in the U.S. are imported from China, according to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), adding to their overall environmental footprint.

The Pros and Cons of Real
There are about 6 million real trees sold from uk growers and 1 million imported from Europe Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.Most of these trees will be recycled and chipped or grown on.

Treecycling is an easy way to return a renewable and natural source back to the environment instead of disposing it in a landfill, where decomposition rates are slowed due to lack of oxygen.
Christmas trees are recycled into mulch and used in landscaping and gardening or chipped and used for playground material, hiking trails, paths and walkways.

A single farmed tree absorbs more than 1 ton of CO2 throughout its lifetime.
In order to ensure a healthy supply of Christmas trees each year, growers must use sustainable farming techniques. For each tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following spring, ensuring a healthy supply of trees.
Negatives associated with real Christmas trees: they are farmed as agricultural products, meaning repeated applications of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers may be used throughout their lifetime. The ideal tree would be raised organically, using integrated pest management techniques rather than chemicals.
Transportation...less than tree trucked from a couple states away is still traveling thousands of miles less than one from overseas.

An Even Better Option: Living potted trees replanted after Christmas.

[RedToothBrush]

Christmas Tree Equations

tree from a good source = fewer needles
fewer needles + laminate flooring = no problem
real tree - getting over excited = buying a tree too flaming big
recycling tree = habitat for animals + no landfill
decorations x number of years = need for a bigger tree every subsequent year
Christmas tree + animals/small children = arrrggghhhhhh!
Christmas tree + John Lewis = smaller bank balance and grumpy partner

[BolshierAyraStark]

Mine is real but it's a living one in a pot, smells lovely & looks gorgeous-not at all thin & spindly.

[TheWordFactory]

Real trees aren't always full grown trees cut down. More commonly they're just the top of very tall ones, that grow back very quickly .

[pictish]

We have a real potted tree. It has been going for three years now. It started off about 4ft, and is now more like 5. It's in a big red metal bucket, and gets carried in about mid December.

Real all the way for me. But to each their own.

[pictish]

And yes...it's fat. Fat and bushy and jolly. Not spindly.

[dirkdiggler1]

I would only ever have a real non shedding tree. Never had an issue with loads of dropped needles. Artificial ones are pretty naff IMHO.