To ask if you worry about your 'real' Christmas tree catching alight?

[Cashmerecardi1]

Just been reading the other thread about when people put their decorations up etc.

The same old sentiment was repeated multiple times about fake trees being tacky (Honestly, can someone tell me why, especially if, like mine they are just a plain green tree?)

But anyway, I have wanted a real tree for a few years, I love the smell of them etc. However, I've been put off by horror stories and videos circulating of them catching alight due to the lights on them....does anyone have this worry? Is it something that's likely to happen unless precautions are taken and if so what are the precautions?

Had a real tree for 50 years. Dm and dgm before me. No fires. To be extra safe just unplug when you aren't in /up...
Lights do pass safety testing you know!! Not elves who put them together in a workshop without regulations!!

I've never heard of that happening. I don't worry about it. We had real Xmas trees all my life.

That has literally never crossed my mind as being a risk as we have one every year.

Never heard of this happening.

We have led lights, safety tested. We don't leave them on overnight or when we leave the house.

I'm certain that other things in the home pose more of a fire risk, tbh.

Hmm okay, well we have LED lights and don't leave them on overnight or whilst out so perhaps I'll give it a go.

How long do they usually last, real trees?

I've always had a real tree. It catching fire has never been a worry, but I don't have candles anywhere near it, I turn my xmas tree lights off if I go out or to bed, and I have the lights plugged into a surge protector.

Plus smoke alarms through the house.

I can't imagine it happens very often or indoor xmas trees would be banned.

I stand our tree in a bucket of water outside for 24 hours. It soaks up enough water to keep it in good shape for about three weeks.

I’ve never heard of this. Cut the bottom of your tree and water it regularly and it will last at least 4 weeks.

My Danish in-laws have real candles on their real Christmas tree! Only lit on the evening of the 24th

It does worry me a but but I turn off all lights if not around and spray it every few days with water. We buy ours around 15th and usually lasts at least 12 days after xmas when we take it down. You will find needles all year though no matter how well you clean up!!

We always had real trees and neve worried about a fire. And when I was a small child we even had REAL (small) candles lit on it, nothing ever burned up (although we only had the real candles lit when we were in the room with the tree).

@GerbilCurse

My Danish in-laws have real candles on their real Christmas tree! Only lit on the evening of the 24th

We do this in Germany. Real tree and real candles?- like to splurge on beeswax. Tree goes up on the 24th in the morning, in a stand with integrated water reservoir. Candles only get lit from Christmas eve and obviously only with people in the room. (They only last a couple of hours anyway for one set.) Much more atmospheric and its never been an issue safety wise. You do have to make sure not to attach candles too close to overhanging branches of course.

This is not something I’d even considered. I’d be more worried about a plastic tree to be honest.

LED lights don't get warm in the same way older style ones did. The main danger would be poor wiring but that would be a problem regardless of whether the tree was real or artificial.

Never had that happen with any of our real trees when we used to buy them but I think people used to spray them with hairspray to stop the needles dropping back when you were limited as to which type of tree you could get. Now there are plenty of no or low drop varieties so not really an issue.

@GrumpyPanda please will you show us a photo of your tree? Sounds very nice.

I never worry about it. With LED lights the bulbs don't get hot enough to catch, and I keep the tree well watered. I think it was a bigger risk with old style lights.

I don't think artificial trees are tacky - the rest of my family prefer artificial and they always look really nice to me. I just prefer the appearance and smell of a real one, and picking it feels like more of a treat / tradition than getting an artificial tree down from the loft.

We buy real tree, there is a bucket to fill with water under tree stand. So it is kept watered throughout
Ours goes up the first weekend of December and we take down after new year so almost a month. Hardly any needles drop now days and it’s usually stood next to radiator

If I was worried about fire I’d be more concerned about the chemicals coming from a burning plastic tree.

The lights get unplugged every night, aren’t left on if there’s no one about and the new lights don’t get hot in the same way that the older lights did. As mentioned, you can get a tree stand with an in built reservoir so the tree keeps ‘drinking’.

As long as the house electrics are good and they are relatively new lights and used properly should be fine - if you are really worried get them PAT by a relevant electrician.

Modern lights are not high risk as they are low heat.

When I was a child we always had a real tree and I always have one in my home as an adult - I'm 62 now and no tree has ever caught fire!
Main danger = the cats going crazy and climbing it

Mine last about a month or so until the needle drop becomes too much. Make sure you water it and it helps if the room is cooler too

Has anyone seen the video of how quickly a room is engulfed in fire from a dried out tree? Scares the daylights out of me so fake it is.

www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/christmas-safety/

I don't think this is as much of an issue now as it would have been in the 80's when the lights got hot and you replaced the bulbs your self.