Or do fake trees always look crap?

[heyyyottoe]

So I treated myself to a Balsam Hill tree and I’m honestly shocked at how shit it looks.

All my previous trees weren’t great but I thought buying this brand would be better … how mistaken I was.

so sparse and ugly. If I ever bother to decorate I’ll just get a real tree from now one.

Definitely send it straight back.

That's not the same tree. The BH tree you say you ordered has PE tips on the outer branches. The one in your photo that you say you received has PVC tips.

Our artificial tree about 10 ish years old now. Swore I'd never have a fake tree but I'm glad we don't have to fork out for a tree each year. Ours looks different every year because we bought extra branches and always put it together differently every time 😅

Mine is just a small snowy pre-lit pine in a basket but I love it, it was super cheap from Argos about 3 years ago.

OP, I have seen a lot of complaints about Balsam hill trees this year, get your money back duck and find another one

YABU. I think mine looks good, and I’ve had it over 20 years.
a lot of real trees look quite crap - especially when the poor chopped down thing is losing its needles.

I love my wee 4ft tree for £12 from the Argos catalogue 🎄

Just get a refund OP. Well done for trying your best. I don't find it easy decorating my tree either.

I have always went artificial because I can't justify the cost of a real one ghen the hassle of getting shot of it after Christmas....

I agree I grew up with fakes and thought they were fine but when I met my now husband he was adamant we had to get a real one and said if I hated it we could get a fake. We never have. Real every time. I’d rather have no tree than a fake.

I agree that the branches need separating more into different directions, as well as fluffing. I’ve heard it can take 30-60 minutes to get them looking right.

We are extremely lucky to live near a very good Christmas tree farm. You go round the plantation, pick your tree and tie a ribbon on it colour coded for when it needs to be either collected by you or delivered by them. They will also pick up after Christmas and take away

Alternatively there are farms where the tree is not cut, it comes in a pot and they come and take it away and you can have the same tree for years

Just wanted to give you some options to maybe consider for when your tree gets past its best and you need a new. Things have moved on a lot and it's a whole new ball game

I heard an interesting programme on Radio 4 about the environmental impact of having the same fake tree for 15-20 years versus buying a real one every year and it’s not as clear cut as you might think.

Fair point 🤔🎄😀👍

I'm not surprised that you're disappointed as yours doesn't look like the picture tbh.
We like our artificial tree - it's several years old from JL. We put a shit ton of lights and decorations on it which probably helps. Personally, I think they can look pretty passable (nowadays). I adore real trees but hate that they often look tired (and smell weird) by the time Christmas comes around - (we always put ours up in the first week of December.) We have a real one in a pot in our kitchen and that stays fresh.

Ten years is the point at which the carbon footprint of the artificial tree's manufacturing and shipping is typically offset by avoiding the annual environmental cost of growing, water usage, cutting, and transporting new real trees.

in the future people will he shaking their heads at how many people didn’t understand that the environmental impact is more than the disposal of the end result

I was traumatised as a young child after reading The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen (his tales should come with a contents warning); consequently I have never had a real tree.

I'm well in credit our tree is around 20 now, as is my car. Carbon credits I hope

Wanted to add, take it back op, they're taking the piss with that photo and what you actually received, it's like a dodgy Chinese wedding dress of Ebay.

I have had my fake tree for 31 years, I have added more baubles over the years, but the old ones are used elsewhere in the house. I think its paid its dues in terms of sustainability.

We've had the same fake tree for 5 years now and it still looks the same so hopefully will last a lot longer. It's pre-lit and covered in glitter as well. Proper tacky and I love it. It's covered in ancient tinsel and baubles that We've acquired as our parents have bought new ones for their trees. Nothing matches and it has absolutely no taste or style.
I love it so much.

Can't stand hoovering up the needles from real ones or having to dispose of them when they die

I know my fake tree looks fake. I don’t give a crap. It is symbolic. If I so much as brush up against a real conifer, I break out in a rash. We’ve had our tree for about 8 years. MIL gave it to us after using it for 20 something years. So that’s 30 odd years of reuse.

I had a Balsam Hill tree for a few years and it looked exactly like the photos on the web page. Have you complained?

Do all the people with their real trees only hang ‘real’ stuff on them? Wooden ornaments? Natural fibre ornaments? Candles for lighting? What about flaming torches? Bit of a fire hazard. Or do ye’s just chuck on a bunch of plastic LED lights and baubles like everyone else?

I know there will be at least one … waiting🤣

That's beautiful - exactly what it's all about 😊🤍 I smile when I see the baubles I got when my eldest was born. They don't go with the colour scheme anymore but I remember choosing them whilst he was in the pram. They bring me a lot too!

You'd be surprised at the size of a tree you can get in a small car. We've only got a little Vauxhall viva, but can fit a tree in it that almost reaches our ceiling.

Completely agree with the last sentiment of this post, but without meaning to contradict myself I think YABU because I've seen plenty of fake trees that look good.