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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Real Christmas Tree's good idea or not?

30 replies

lissieloucifer · 26/10/2010 14:30

We always put our decorations up on the first weekend in december. This year ds will be 5 and this will probably be the last year he REALLY believes in FC, esp considering he has already been told that he wasnt real [hangry] dh has given me permission to go nuts (he normally has to rein me in a bit) and we have been talking about getting a real tree, but Im worried about it dying by Christmas eve.

how long do they last? are there specific types we should look for and finally, with a JRTX and a 5yo, are we mad?

OP posts:

Leslaki · 26/10/2010 14:42

|I ususally get a Nordman Fir and put it in water - cut off the botom few inches of the trunk and stand it in a tree stand which can hold water - they do take in a lot of water over the festive season!! but mine ahve always lasted from the 1st weekend of Dec until the first few days of Jan so enjoy!!!

Oh and let ds watch Miracle on 34th st if he's having any doubts about the Big Man!!

tefal · 26/10/2010 14:43

Surely he won't stop believing at 5?

Never had a real tree - sorry!

DomesticGoddessInTraining · 26/10/2010 14:50

We always get a Fraser fir (some different types of tree here ).

We have a tree stand that holds water and usually put it up early December. Lasts fine till the beginning of January.

ramonaquimby · 26/10/2010 14:54

we've never had a fake tree, alway a real one.
ditto the advice from leslaki

how sad for this to be the last year for a 5 year old to believe in Santa claus!

Original poster

lissieloucifer · 26/10/2010 15:31

thanks all. Im going to bite the bullet and bully persuade dh that we definately need a real one.

it is sad thatthis will probably be the last year, he was really upset about it, said that D told him that FC wasnt real and it was his mummy and daddy. luckily, i got a few calls from a woman at the disney store who i told ds was our personal elf wanting to check a few things for me.

OP posts:

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 26/10/2010 15:42

We buy a Nordman which goes up first weekend in December or shortly afterwards. I have never had one die on me and ours stays up until twelfth night.

DH was a heretic when I met him and wanted a fake but he has come around to my way of thinking.

girlywhirly · 26/10/2010 15:57

I've had real cut Norway spruce, and even with watering it would start to look a bit jaded after 3 weeks, a potted rooted one will obviously do better. If not get one of the non-drop varieties such as nordmann or blue fir. If these do dry up, the needles stay attached. We used to stand our cut tree in a plastic bin full of gravel, and top up with water.

LolaLadybird · 26/10/2010 16:57

We always have a real one - all through the years when our dog was a puppy and DD and DS were crawling babies (they are now 9, 5 and 2 respectively!). I couldn't imagine anything else - they even make your house smell nice and Christmassy!

Definitely put it in a stand with water (they did an experiment on TV last year which showed that was the best way to make them last). Also, if you can, find somewhere you can cut your own so you know it's freshly cut the day you take it home. There are a couple of places around here but we live in rural Somerset, I'm guessing not so easy if you live in a city ...

Enjoy! (And defintely try and keep the dream alive with DS. DD is 5 and I'm hoping she has years of believing still ahead of her).

GoreRenewed · 26/10/2010 16:58

We get a real one but it goes up the last weekend before christmas.

1234ThumbScrew · 26/10/2010 17:00

Never had an artificial one, we are a little lax in regard to giving the poor thing water and have never had any problems.

Original poster

lissieloucifer · 26/10/2010 17:47

thank you all, im so excited now! I grew up in the country and remember going to pick the tree with my family when I was little, decorating day was almost a big a deal as the christmas itself!!

OP posts:

CherryMonstersUnderTheBed · 26/10/2010 18:27

thats awful that this is his last believing year. my eldest ds is 12 in march and only recently told me he doesnt believe. younger ones are 9, 5 and 4 and definitely believe and will for some time yet

Original poster

lissieloucifer · 26/10/2010 18:33

i really hope im wrong, but there are quite a few dc's in his class who either dont celebrate christmas or have older siblings and have had it ruined for them. im desperate to keep it going for as long as possible. he knows that we buy some pressies abut then we send them off to gina (our elf) and they wrap them.

OP posts:

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 26/10/2010 19:30

lissie - we get our tree from the Forestry Commission. I don't know where you are but if you google then there may be one near to you.
All the trees for sale are cut that morning so they are in really great condition.

I have massive tree envy when we go, because they have some huuuge ones which are beautiful and I would love to have if we had a great big house to put one in, but the 4-5 footer we get is lovely too :)

tyler80 · 26/10/2010 20:00

Norway Spruce is the traditional Christmas tree for me, but it's not a tree to put up at the beginning of December.

You really need to go for one of the non-drop trees like a Nordman Fir (these are usually a bit more expensive)

Original poster

lissieloucifer · 26/10/2010 20:14

thanks, so a nordman is clearly the way to go then!

we will probably go with bil and sil when they get theirs.

OP posts:

taffetawitchescat · 26/10/2010 21:26

We get ours mid December, Nordman Fir or similar, lasts til New Year. Smell is lovely, not as strong as Norway Spruce but they drop like mad.

Echo the advice about watering, and don't site it near a radiator or heat source if possible.

My DS (7) has been told by a number of people at school that Santa isn't real. I have said they don't know what they are talking about and to ignore them, and he takes this as gospel and ignores them. When we watch Merlin together he says " Mummy, I'm not scared of the baddies in this because I know its not real. The only real magic is Santa and the Tooth Fairy."

He also thinks our hairdresser is one of Santa's helpers as one Christmas when he was about 4 he wouldn't sit still and she said she's tell Santa as she was a helper of his. He hasn't forgotten.

mamalovesmojitos · 26/10/2010 22:58

always get a real tree. they are the best, you will not regret it. the smell is so atmospheric.

i have never put it into water, or done anything special to it, and they are always lovely and last a few weeks.

enjoy

CherryMonstersUnderTheBed · 26/10/2010 23:28

i have found a 6-7 foot nordman fir for £55 delivered. is that a good deal?

tulpe · 26/10/2010 23:34

We always decorate on 6th December (as soon as Sinter Klaas feest is done) but don't put up tree until 2 weeks or less before the big day.

Our ritual was always that me and eldest DS would go to a local forest and choose a tree together, having a hot choc and mince pie whilst they wrapped it.

2 years ago we broke with tradition and all 4 of us went to choose from local garden centre. Geez. We almost got divorced!!

We generally choose a Blue Spruce. They are beautifully abundant with their needs and a gorgeous colour. Never end up bald by New Year either :)

tulpe · 26/10/2010 23:34

needles rather than abundant needs......

chippy47 · 26/10/2010 23:39

This site has everything you need to know -used them last year and if you order now they are offering 10% discount.

www.scottishchristmastrees.co.uk/

Fraser Fir to guarantee the Christmas smell.

10% discount with this code SCT10/EB if you order before 31/10

zoley · 26/10/2010 23:55

Glad you're going for a real one, persuaded OH to get Nordman one last year in a pot with roots. Was at price £40 as it's not exactly big but was determined to get one with roots as I hate vacuuming it's more eco friendly. Needle drop was minimal with none of the usual vacuuming horror to avoid pine needle torture. After Xmas I put it in the garden still in pot, watered it regularly, tree has actually grown a bit and am now getting ready to bring it in again.
Despite the initial outlay we don't have to buy one this year, so has saved us some cash and hopefully we can use it for a couple more Christmases (as long as I remember to water it in the summer such that it doesn't turn into dessicated brown twig tree)

CherryMonstersUnderTheBed · 26/10/2010 23:56

chippy- have just looked on that site but have a question. can you trim the leader at the top if it is too tall? i have a 7 foot articial tree which is the perfect height, but theirs go up to 7 foot 5, could i trim a bit off?

girlywhirly · 27/10/2010 07:57

Cherrymonster, if you're talking about a cut tree, you will need to saw a few inches off the trunk just before you put it in a stand with water, so it will lose a little height that way. Might look a bit odd with a chopped off top stem, unless you put a fairy over it to hide the cut.

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