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?

I've always had a real tree.

I buy it ten days before Christmas, sit it in a bucket of water outside for about 24 hours to let it hydrate, then place it in my Christmas tree stand indoors, which is designed with a bowl for water. I fill the bowl and let the tree branches open up - another 24 hours. Then decorate.

The bowl in the stand needs to be topped up every day.

I take the tree down around the 2nd or 3rd of January.

I find if it's left up longer I get needles everywhere.

One year I left it too late and shook all the needles off into a big pile, then trimmed all the branches off and got it out that way.

That’s the reason I won’t have a real tree. Far too paranoid about it. One year I was going to get one and then watched a video on YouTube of how quickly the fire can spread if it catches fire so decided against it!

And I've never worried about fire. I unplug the lights at night and when leaving the apartment.

If there was an issue with the lights they'd likely trip the electric before they start a fire. Put them on a timer and unplug them if you're really worried.

I had real trees for 40 years until last year when I bought a fake one. Never had a fire but it certainly did concern me because they dehydrate to a crisp over 3 weeks. I used to use bits of old tree as kindling on the stove. In fact one year I set fire to the old tree in a garden incinerator and it went up like a rocket, virtually exploded.

Well if you go looking for anything on YouTube you will doubtless find it .

Had a real tree for 40 years, parents and grandparents always had real ones too. No fires yet.

Never crossed my mind over 49 years of real trees.

Ours has LED lights now so probably less of a concern.

If you set fire to a Christmas tree you would be amazed how they go up. Like a self lighting Roman candle. Fresh ones are actually worse as full of oil.

I do have a real one though (and a bonfire party in jan...!)

Real trees last forever if they have roots on them, and not the sad ones without the roots that get chucked away, very wasteful.

I know someone who had an artificial plasticky tree burn down years ago, it kind of melted down in the flames. not sure how this happened though, unless it was someone loopy who had it.

Years ago, like 1940 /50 ish, oldie here, you could buy some Christmas lighting, that was like a length of thin cable, not electric though, to wrap round the tree, every so often, there was a little metal cup type of holder, that you put a little thin real candle into, then lit the candle,, very pretty to see, in those days of no health and safety issue. My late Mum would get a match and light them, for about two minutes,then blow them out, in case our house burnt down !

@Cashmerecardi1

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?

Buy one with roots, keep it in a pot with soil and plant it out afterwards (if you have a garden)

I’ve had a real one every Christmas of my life and this has never occurred to me. Even during the 80’s with dodgy electrical lights and 25 extension leads.
Vases of flowers don’t catch fire so why would a tree being kept in water?

As they dry the oil in the needles does make them go up quickly if you cut them and put them on the fire. Unless your putting a naked flame on them I can’t see why this would happen?

I use our tree as kindling after Christmas. Not great for chimney due to the resin though, and not doesn’t give off much heat.

I’ve never worried about or experienced a fire from a Christmas tree, I’d expect thereto be far more likely & dangerous things. It’s probably wise to use modern lights that don’t heat up. I switch off at night etc. And I’d not spray the tree with anything either, and be careful if you keep it in water (just coz of electricity + water).

But if it’s going to worry you, then just use your artificial one - I don’t get why people claim they’re tacky other than out if snobbery maybe?

@MeanderingGently

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).

I recall the real candles in those metal clip-on holders, they were lovely.

I don't think LED lights are dangerous.

No, because it is living and growing in a pot. It gets carefully watered like any pot plant so it never dries out.

I have a real tree, always use the old filament bulbs and it has never caught fire. Because I keep it watered.

It only comes in for 1-2 weeks and sits in a cool corner. Then back to the garden for next year!

I don't leave the lights on overnight or when I go out but I don't do that with the fake trees we have either.

Off topic but I've never had any success with potted trees, they've all died and ended up in the chipper at the park for mulch like their chopped down counterparts.

I turn off the lights on the tree whenever I go out or go to bed but apart from that I've never worried.

DON'T OPEN THIS LINK IF YOU ARE SCARED OF SPIDERS

However, this stowaway got in on my real tree one year. I actually heard its feet clicking on the wall as it climbed. I went to get something to catch it in but when I came back it had vanished. I'm not scared of spiders but they can give you a nasty bite. I didn't walk around with bare feet for weeks.

That was seven years ago and either it's dead or playing the long game. But despite that I'd recommend a real tree.

We have a real tree, we have one of the stands which is filled with water and that is kept topped up everyday.
We also buy our tree from up the forest so they are freshly chopped down daily.
Like others we only have lights on when we are home and awake. They get turned off when out and in bed.

The fire safety video is scary but sofas, curtains, tumble driers, pans on the hob/oven and many other things in your house can cause a fire/quickly go up in flames! as long as you are careful with all things electrical and make sure you have working smoke detectors etc then you are as safe as you can be.

Four generations of real trees and never had a fire yet, despite using incandescent lights from the 90s. We always switch the lights off before bed/leaving the house just in case.
My grandparents and great grandparents had real candles on the tree. They had servants, and one of them had to stand next to the tree with a bucket of water, and a long stick with a sponge on the end, just in case there were small fires to extinguish.
Real trees smell the best - it has to be Norway Spruce though, the rest don’t smell of anything.

Real tree with real candles here (in Europe) for the past 30 years. Never had any issues.
Mind you, the candles are only lit for a couple of hours in the evening and the rule is that there must always be someone in the room whilst they are alight.
Candles always "double extinguished" too.

LED lights barely warm up compared to incandescent bulbs. Real trees should be kept well watered to prevent them drying out (this also reduces needle drop). Obviously don't position them next to fireplaces or radiators.

I'm going to have another attempt this year at keeping a potted one alive (last one only lasted two Christmases before dying last summer).

I'm 50 and have never had anything but a real tree. No issues. I turn the lights off at night. We usually buy ours around 15th December and it lasts through to when we take it down on about 2nd or 3rd Jan. You have to keep them watered though - they are thirsty buggers.

Last year ours was up for 10 weeks!