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!

We got a real tree for the first time this year. We’ve been decorating so weren’t ready to put up decs until the 13th. We’re in a city but in a rural area so went to one of the many local tree farms. It was a lovely afternoon, we walked around the fields, chose one and they cut it down for us. They close on Christmas Eve and there were loads of trees of different sizes and varieties.

I didn’t think you could get a real one too early anyway if you want it looking good on Christmas Day, we take everything down just after new year by twelfth night.

I bought a cheap pop up one as an emergency tree in case we missed out on a real one.

I traipsed round several shops looking for Christmas cards yesterday. Only place that had any (apart from singles at £2 each!) was Clintons - so tacky that I just couldn't! Even the charity shops were stripped bare.

We're OK for a Xmas Tree but I always have this trouble with advent calendars and pumpkins.

I was planning on getting mine this weekend but the place I was going to (with a 50% NHS discount) isn’t open anymore

I was delighted to see a couple, hiding behind a big display of reduced artificial ones, in Tesco yesterday. It was half price just £12.50!

Lots of trees round here still, I haven't got mine yet. I think people have started earlier this year though. Hope you get sorted

I think it's been like this for a few years. I remember a few years ago having trouble getting a tree because I had left it too late.

I now buy my tree in the first week of December and keep it outside, soaking in water, until a week or so before Christmas.

I brought it inside yesterday as it it was the only day when we weren't expecting rain.

We got ours early this year. Normally buy around the 15th, this year we got it on the 5th and it was already slim pickings

My only thing about putting it up later is that I would fel I couldn’t arsed because I’d have to taken down so soon again. It’s such a faff.

Try local fb group and see if anyone knows where you can get one as pp said.

Failing that you’ll just have to dress someone up in green, decorate them, lights and all, and make them stand in the corner.

Am I right in assuming Christmas decorations in ordinary houses were more simple back when people didn't put up trees until the 24th? Otherwise I agree it seems like loads of effort for less than 2 weeks.

We got ours yesterday and it wasn’t easy to find one. Where do you live?

Just got ours today.

It seems to be this year! We were a bit late getting stuff sorted as DS has a birthday in early December, so we focused on that. By the time we got to the garden centre it looked like it had been ransacked by an angry mob! Thankfully we'd booked our Christmas tree already, but decorations are lacking.

We never used to put ours up until the end of term (two teacher parents). Or the weekend before if it was a late finish.

Failing that you’ll just have to dress someone up in green, decorate them, lights and all, and make them stand in the corner.

DH has already offered!

We’ve always put it up between the 15th and the 21st in my family (depending when the weekend falls really). With having a newborn and a toddler in a TINY cottage this seemed especially reasonable.

There's plenty of real trees available our way....garden centres, out of town tree sellers, we're in the East Midlands. Hope you find one.

Normally not but this year people have put up their trees really early. In my village most people had theirs up on the first weekend in December which isnt normally the case but everyone was 'ah feck it, its been a terrible year, lets do it'

We got ours last week from our usual place and it was definitely emptier than last year; the guy said they'd been really busy since the last week of November

Long sold out here but that’s the same every year (I got caught out the first year I moved here). I always put mine up later than most but buy early In December and leave in the garage until about now.

B&Q often real ones left and sell them off. We’ve some times bought a second one just before Christmas for about £3. The needles usually fall off by Boxing Day though, but at that price I don’t mind. I like my main tree to last until 12th night though.

Round here if you try to buy a real tree after the 12th you struggle. I usually buy in the 10th. This year I bought on 30th November.

A week before is fairly last minute to me!
Hope you find one.

I think most people (like me) want their money’s worth so buy them on the 1st of December.

Dozens of real trees everywhere here. Try B & Q.

Look online, OP. Forestry places will deliver a real tree right up to Xmas Eve. Or at least, they do up here in my part of rural Scotland.

We also usually put up between 15 and 21, usually around about 18. We did go a few days earlier his year, bought it Wednesday when usually probably would have waited until tomorrow. The farm we bought it from still had a good few trees but they were all pretty big (that was fine for us) and the guy selling them said they weren’t cutting any more this year as most people had bought theirs early.

The place we usually go was nearly empty by the first weekend in December! We managed to get one but it’s quite a peculiar shape!

Everyone seems to do Christmas preparations earlier than me (I have a fake tree) but I don’t personally think the 18th would be unreasonable. I guess with this year being so grim people are wanting to get in to the Christmas spirit ASAP tho.