To think the 18th is not ridiculously late to buy a Christmas tree?

[PreRaphaeliteMotherhood]

There appears not to be a single (real) tree in our local area. We tried two garden centres, the greengrocer, and multiple lay-bys (all places that had them earlier in the month). We cannot be the last people to buy a tree. A week before is a totally normal time to put up a tree! I appreciate it’s been a weird year and lots of people have chosen to put them up early but to have none left at all seems quite extreme!

IKEA is giving away free trees near me

You're having a laugh aren't you OP?! Where i live, Christmas decorations and trees are usually slim pickings by 1st December.

This year by mid November the Christmas decoration aisles were looking bare! Now our local Asda have theirs reduced.

I drive past a Christmas tree sales place on my way to work every morning

It opened on the 28th November and it was rammed full of Christmas trees - I never thought they’d sell them all.

I’ve seen it get emptier and emptier over the last 3 weeks - there were a few stragglers left yesterday, was completely empty this morning

Go to the woods in the dead of night and steal one!

Not really Have you tried calling tree farmers? Might be more hassle but it will be lovely and fresh.

Most people I know have them up first half of December. If I am spending £25 on a tree I want my money's worth!!

We only got ours on Monday 14th. It was reserved earlier though in fairness. I drove past our local tree farm earlier and they had 100's. I think you might just be unlucky where you are

We got ours in Wickes last weekend.
I have to say the stall in town only had 2 or 3 left today & had tons last weekend. I think 1 week before is quite late.

Our local supplier usually has some left on Christmas Eve. I decided to go early this year and went yesterday which turned out to be his last day. There's a 'sold out' notice on the gate today. I hope you find one OP 🎄

We bought one yesterday in a garden centre. Surprised to find only about six left. Shop assistant said that people had bought very early this year.
I think around now is a really normal time to buy a real tree. YANBU

Even I relented and let them put the tree up early this year. I like to keep it up until Twelfth Night though. Probably won't make it this year.

Loads round us. B&Q had some today, waitrose yesterday, even outside a local plumbing supplies shop.

Have you tried asking on your local Facebook group or equivalent? It's a popular topic where I am.

To me around d 18th is normal but I realise I'm in a small minority now.

I’m with you OP! I went to B&Q last night to buy a real tree and it was slim pickings (ended up with a 7 footer squashed into a fiat 500, this had not been my plan!). They had also removed the aisle with Christmas decs and lights so hell mend you if you wanted to buy any decorations! I felt quite sad, I must admit.

I wouldn't say ridiculously late but real Christmas trees have quite a narrow profit margin so they probably don't want too many extras. You can't buy a real one too early anyway or it'll have shed by xmas day. We buy ours around the 7th.

Not ridiculously late, but a bit late. We normally get ours around 13-15th December.

You're having a laugh aren't you OP?! Where i live, Christmas decorations and trees are usually slim pickings by 1st December. This year by mid November the Christmas decoration aisles were looking bare! Now our local Asda have theirs reduced.

Really?! There aren't that many real trees still for sale here, but still plenty of decorations etc. I normally don't start buying presents or anything remotely Christmassy until December has started.

We never get ours until the Saturday before Christmas and have never failed to find one, though its been a bit of a hunt on occasion. One year, when Christmas Day was a Saturday we did have a struggle finding a tree on Christmas Eve but in the end bought an 8ft tree for £5 from B&Q about 10 minutes before they closed.
We'll be out playing our traditional game of Christmas Tree Roulette tomorrow morning.

Mind yoou I always find the same with advent calendars. All gone by the 1st of dec, I can't believe I'm the only one who leaves it so late!

Christmas day was Sunday I mean.

Try a supermarket.
We went early this year, as I wasnt convinced it wouldnt all go mad. Hope you find one.

I would say it’s ok but everything is upside down this year. We were in the same situation with Halloween pumpkin but of course the tree is more serious problem.

Could you post on FB? It’s probably quicker than driving around.

I nipped in our Range the first weekend in December and the place was virtually bare of Christmas stuff then

Went in there yesterday and they’ve pretty much dismantled the Christmas area - apart from a few bits, it’s all gone.

In our Asda Christmas stuff has been decanted down to 1 aisle

I feel like we've been forced to buy early after this happened to us a couple of years ago.

Traditionally trees went up
On Xmas Eve. When I was a kid, we certainly weren’t doing it much earlier than week before.

It’s not ridiculously late at all; it’s when we would usually get ours but we were a week early this year (which I guess is contributing to the problem).

The year I got one for £1 on the 24th from b and q is a distant memory