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Christmas

Christmas tree real or fake?

51 replies

Velveteenfruitbowl · 02/12/2019 16:19

We’ve managed to be away every Christmas for years so haven’t made a Christmas tree purchasing decision since before moving to our new house and now I’m at a loss. List of situations specific points for each below but wwyd in my position

Real:
-I like them better
-Cheaper as a one off purchase (£60 delivered, can’t pick one up ourselves this year and generally don’t want to ever)
-Difficult to dispose of as council won’t take them and can’t take it to wherever it is you take old Christmas trees ourselves so will have to saw it up and put it in bin.

Fake:

  • more expensive but saves money in the long run
  • difficult to store, we don’t have any spare storage space really but will squeeze it in somewhere
  • it’s likely that we may not ever use it again (we are away for Christmas very often and may move abroad in the next decade anyway)


I’m tempted to get a real one purely because it’s nicer but I’m not sure it’s worth the agro.
OP posts:
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busface999 · 02/12/2019 16:21

Personally I love real trees. Look and smell so good!

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Bunnylady53 · 02/12/2019 16:23

Real but bought from somewhere that ensures they are sustainable eg The Range plants twice as many trees as they sell ( I think)

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PhilomenaChristmasPie · 02/12/2019 16:23

Fake. We've had the same tree for 10 years.

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Spoonsmum · 02/12/2019 16:36

Real. Fake ones never look right imo and the smell of a real tree.... mmmm

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VaggieMight · 02/12/2019 16:37

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at poster's request.

dementedpixie · 02/12/2019 16:42

I have a small real potted tree for outside that I bought last year and it survived after putting in a bigger pot - cost £20 from tesco. I put fairy lights on it. I have a slim fake one for inside that we have had for several years now

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dementedpixie · 02/12/2019 16:42

Our council uplifts real trees after Christmas

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Winterdaysarehere · 02/12/2019 16:44

Imo a plastic item should be classed as a tree....

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msmith501 · 02/12/2019 16:45

Fake. Looks like real, hangs beautifully, lots of irregular branches, doesn't drip needles and is free after the first year.

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Redshoeblueshoe · 02/12/2019 16:48

Same as demented. My tree is in a pot, it will come in for Christmas, then go back outside till next year 🌲

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CountFosco · 02/12/2019 16:48

Real. We get ours from a local farm so delivery miles are tiny and a local charity collects to compost. Much better for the environment, particularly if you don't use a tree very often.

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Celebelly · 02/12/2019 16:52

We usually have a real one but got a good quality fake one this year as DD has just started crawling and I don't want pine needles everywhere. It's also more of a hassle to get a real one as the council don't uplift them here so we have to saw it up and take it to the tip, which we don't live near. We probably will get a real one in a few years again and move the fake one into another room, but it's a really nice 7ft pre-lit one that does actually look real, and it has made things less stressful. I bloody hate watering real trees too, lying down and shimmying among the presents and getting prickled to kingdom come. I do miss the smell though.

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BatleyTownswomensGuild · 02/12/2019 17:45

I had a real tree for years but recently went fake. The main reason was we have an uneven floor and real trees were proving hard to stand level and were prone to toppling. DS pulled over the tree 2 years ago and lots of my fav baubles smashed. Sad

Got a gorgeous fake one last year. Very lush and bushy and balances a lot better. A doddle to put up too. Doesn't have the smell but have put some dried oranges and cloves on it to get a nice scent. Smile

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Velveteenfruitbowl · 02/12/2019 19:46

@BatleyTownswomensGuild @Celebelly @msmith501 can I ask which brand tree you have?

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Floralnomad · 02/12/2019 23:04

Fake , we have a Balsam Hill , very realistic looking with none of the downsides . I actually don’t like the smell of real trees either .

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Whoops75 · 02/12/2019 23:07

Fake

Kids kept getting chest infections at Christmas & it was the real tree.
Google Christmas tree spores Sad

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Pipandmum · 02/12/2019 23:10

Real. I'm abroad for two weeks this year so we aren't having our second tree but the big one is up with lights on awaiting decorating.
I did plumb for an expensive fake one a few years ago but kids hated it and I sold it.

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scousadelic · 02/12/2019 23:16

Fake. Ours looks good, is a perfect shape, has no thin or spindly bits and is now over 15 years old so very economical

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Daisydoola · 02/12/2019 23:20

Real, we used to have a Balsam hill one but I just love a real one so we gave it away.

I love the smell of it when I walk in the room.

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Lunafortheloveogod · 02/12/2019 23:24

Fake, mine was £19 for 7ft 1000 tip thing in the January sales a few years back.. looks really full n barely drops (besides putting it up n down) any bits.. also doesn’t come with bugs or any of the perks of real trees. If it’s anything like the ones I grew up with we’ll probably have it another 10+ years.

Asda do some pretty nice trees, the range n those places do too usually can see them sat out in there so you can justify a more expensive fake if you can tell it’ll look nice up.

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Lotus90 · 02/12/2019 23:24

Real! No matter how 'real' people think their fake trees look, they don't!

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Runnerduck34 · 02/12/2019 23:26

Real tree every time😊
some expensive fake trees are becoming more realistic, I saw one recently in the white company, but generally they just look rubbish and even given the choice between an expensive fake and a real tree I'd still go real. A smaller rooted one in a pot would be a good ideal if you have a garden.
We're lucky that our council collects real Xmas trees with our green waste, but I can see they could be a pain to dispose of.

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chocatoo · 02/12/2019 23:26

Fake. Real ones have creepy crawlies living in them...shudder. We buy a real one for outside the front door and decorate it with ribbons.

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caringcarer · 02/12/2019 23:30

We get a real 8-9ft tree which we pick out ourselves from a Xmas tree farm every year. We get holly and mistletoe there too. The Council comes and collects trees after Xmas and shreds in a big machine. It smells so nice and I can show off all of my beautiful hand blown glass baubles. I am not extravagant at Xmas and do not spend a lot on presents we do not need but I do splash out on Xmas tree and special decorations and nice food. I don't like fake Xmas trees or frozen turkeys.

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Corneysjazzband · 02/12/2019 23:36

Fake. Why do I need a tree to be cut down?

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