To buy a fake Xmas tree

[TumbleFryer]

Every year for as long as I can remember I’ve bought a real Xmas tree. I live in central London and they seem to get more expensive every year - usually £40-60 for about a 4-5 foot tree.

I generally try to avoid consuming too much plastic for environmental reasons but I’m wondering if, in the long run, a plastic tree is the more environmentally friendly option.

My reasoning is that a real tree takes resources to grow, harvest and transport every year, as well as taking up cultivated land that might be better used growing food. It then has to be disposed of which seems like such a waste after only being used for a few days/weeks. A plastic tree obviously takes resources to produce and transport too but arguably it could be kept for 10 or 20 years (or maybe even longer).

What do you think? Am I being unreasonable to switch to plastic?

Last year we bought our first fake tree. I've always been very keen on real trees but when we were looking at the best part of £50 for something that lasts 3 weeks, it put me off. And I'm sure they'll be even more expensive this year as everything is!

The artificial one was about £100 so after this year it will have paid for itself and it looks good. I bought a scented candle so we can still have some approximation of the Christmas tree smell and at least there isn't water and needles all over the carpet.

We bought a plastic one in the sales last year. Zero guilt here- I won't have to find £60 that I can't afford for a real one every year!

I have a six foot fake tree. I bought it thirty five years ago and it is still as thick and bushy as the day I bought it.
If you treat it with care and store it correctly, a good quality one will last years.

I think ethically a fake second hand one is the best option or real those ones that you hire every year then it's replanted.

We got one of the £10 home bargain real trees last year, but I couldn't get out of my mind how long someone had spent growing it and all of the water it would've taken for it to just be sold for a tenner, someone's been screwed somewhere on the supply chain for them to be able to sell it so cheaply.

I’d feel more guilt chopping beautiful trees from their natural surroundings every single year. Trees belong outside. I wonder how many trees are actually cut down each year to be used for 3 weeks and then discarded.

Which is why I said ‘a living tree in a pot’.