To ask what is the earliest date you can buy a real Christmas tree and expect the needles to stay on the tree till after new year?

[honeytea]

Me and my DP are in disagreement over when we should/could buy our christmas tree.

We will buy a real one with anti drop needles but in my experience the needles still drop.

I want to put the tree up next weekend DP wants to put the tree up on Christmas eve (the 23rd in the country we live.)

The reason he wants to put the tree up on Christmas eve is that it is the tradition in the country where we live. The reason I want to put the tree up next weekend is that PFB is due to be born on the 8th and I have fantasies of early labour infrount of the tree with the lovely twinkly lights.

Any advice as to the earliest you can buy a real tree and expect it to look half decent by Christmas? Also AIBU to ignore DP's tree wishes? (I will need him to drive to the shop to buy the tree so I need to persude him... maybe I will tell him I will go on the bus with my 9 month bump and carry it home)

[cory]

Depends on how you treat the tree. If you have it rigged up in a proper container and water it every day and it is a good quality tree you might expect it to last several weeks: in my country the tradition is to bring it in on 23 December and throw it out on St Canute's Day which is 20 days after Christmas. Some needles will drop though.

[bondigidum]

We get ours on the 30th of Nov and it goes down over New year still very much perfect, in fact it barely ever drops needles and its a Norway spruce.

It is clamped into a real christmas tree stand and the water is kept topped up.

[honeytea]

We will have to invest in a fancy tree stand I think. Trees are very cheap here so I guess we could buy another tree if it is looking dead close to Christmas.

[ChocolateTeacup]

I only had a real tree once it just kept dropping needles, I had no idea it needed watering! Will try again next year as I am moving house this christmas

[FlaminNoraImPregnantPanda]

12th of Never.

[honeytea]

12th of Never.

But what if I am in hosptal? :(

[FlaminNoraImPregnantPanda]

Ikea do plastic ones. Will see you through till the Baby is 18. :o

(I got sick of the bare Christmas twigs years ago. Can you tell?)

[honeytea]

Oh but I love the smell!

[footphobic]

Sometimes depends on different factors including weather etc, and when they are cut etc. We have had a Nordman fir for years, they don't drop as a rule, only once has one dropped significantly and we were told it was a bad year. Sometimes a few come off it, but they are soft and flat on a Nordman and easy to pick up. Must water though, every few days.

We usually choose ours the first weekend of Dec so we have choice, then store in a bucket till the next weekend. It usually still looks fresh and lovely when it's time to take it down. Ours are grown and freshly cut at a local farm.

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

The non-drop real tress don't tend to smell as much.

Norway Spruce's are the only 'real' Christmas trees for me

[MrsMorton]

Why don't you get one in a pot? We do this and put it in the garden (still in the pot) for the rest of the year, this one is now three (since we bought it) and it's still looking good.

[bedmonster]

We get a Norwegian Spruce non drop type affair, big bushy branches and lovely smelling. It's only in the house for a maximum of about 10 days but keeps all its needles. We put it in one of the proper stands and keep the base topped up with water. Radiator in the lounge is switched off as that's where the tree goes.
Always been absolutely fine and hardly drops at all, and would probably be good for another 2 weeks after that.

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

If it's non-drop it won't be a Norwegian Spruce...

[bedmonster]

Oh No!! I always send DP with the DDs to choose and I thought that's what he tells me every year!! Show's how much I listen Costs about £80 for a 6ft tree, what else could it be? Is a Norwegian Blue or something? It's very bushy and sort of, well, plush and full!?

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

A blue spruce maybe?

[honeytea]

A pot tree would be a good idea but we live in an apartment so we only have a balcony, no garden.

Last year we got one with the wider needles that are supposed to not drop but after about a month they were dropping (we didn't water the tree though.)

The trees here are only 10 pounds for a 6/7 foot tree we live in Sweden and there are trees everywhere, it's one of the only things that are cheaper here than the UK. I think maybe we will buy a tree next weekend and if by christmas eve it is looking rubbish we will buy a new one.

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

As a compromise could you have a small tree on the balcony with just lights on and then bring it in and decorate it properly on the 23rd?

[honeytea]

That would be a very reasonable compromise spoons :) I feel a little unreasonable at the moment though, my reasoning is that next year we will have a 1 year old crawling or walking and we will probably have to have a little tree so it is the last chance for a big tree for a few years :)

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

I know that is what my Danish inlaws do, choose a tree early December and have it by the front door with white lights on and then bring it in on Christmas eve and decorate it (real candles!).

Then they sing and dance around it - not looking forward to that part so much ....

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

In fact I might do that myself too, we weren't going to have a tree as we're out of the country from the 22nd (we normally bring our tree in late) and I was feeling a bit sad about having no tree but realise now I can put our potted tree outside the french doors with lights on which will reflect nicely and be all twinkly

[LucyBorgia]

We have ours up every year from 1st dec til 6th jan. No real issues with dropping if you don't put it beside a heat source and keep it topped up with water . although..........we will no longer be having a beautiful ceiling scraping pine smelling beautiful real tree as dds asthma kicked off last year after three weeks of the tree and ended up in hospital . It's plastic trees for us from now on. Can be a trigger if left up too long. Lesson learned here the hard way.

[honeytea]

Oh god I hope there is no singing, it is my first Christmas here, they love to sing at all occasions. I must start learning the songs if I am expected to sing!

[honeytea]

Oh no Lucy, how scary for you all :( Maybe it isn't such a good idea to have a tree with a tiny baby.

[ISeeThreadPeople]

How much roughly do people pay? We've never had a real one and are considering it.

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

We will be singing "nu er det jul igen"

I'm guessing the Swedish version is Nu Är Det Jul Igen

Better get practicing