when to buy a real tree?

[SamSungSadSongs]

and how long do they last?

always had artificial but fancy the real deal this year.
so any advice apreciated

We are getting ours on the 16th.

looking at the calendar, we will probably get in the same weekend as jollyjock, they last about 3-4 weeks, although ours comes down on the 1st jan as dd's birthday is on the 6th so we like to create a bit of space between the 2 events.

ah that's no good for me. I like to decorate on the first :(

You'll just have to get two, samsung

get a tree stand you can put water in. ours has a pot the trunk sits in which you can fill with water, that keeps them going for longer, and go for a long needled one that doesn't drop. it'll be fine, nothing beats the smell from a real tree.

I am getting mine next week when its payday :-D We've never had a problem. We have had a real tree for the last 9 years, we get it for the 1st December, and usually take it down the 2nd or 3rd January to make space.

We usually get ours 2 weeks before. I think the trick if you want it longer is to pick the right variety. Some last much better than others.

Also consider where you get it from - we watch ours being cut down by the farmer so it lasts a while

We have a wonderful time going to get ours. We go as a family. I've been going yearly since I was about 10 and now we have our own family we still go with my parents and sisters. We go first thing in the morning in order to get the good trees and we always have something from the burger van afterwards. It's the best annual event apart from Christmas.

We are getting ours on the first.

We've done the same for the past few years and have never had a problem, even when we've bought a cheapish one from Homebase. It always looks fine when we take it down on the 6th January.

Just be sure to get a non needle-drop variety.

We get a non neeedle drop variety, usually first weekend in dec, which is when dh reckons Christmas can officially start. We put ours in conservatory. It might not last as long next to roaring fire (dreams): give it lots of water too.

Oooh I'm excited now, so which are the non-drop varieties?

samsung - see if there are any tree farms near you, as opposed to a garden centre. you want a place where you can see the trees unwrapped, they'll then bag it up for you to take home. they will be able to advise you there which trees will last and not drop, they should also be able to tell you when the tree was felled so you know how fresh it is. another option, is look for a potted one, ie a live tree, it can go in the garden afterwards and be dug up next year.

I have never seen real trees in asda?

Ours comes on the 30th of nov. We order it online from sendmeachristmastree. It sits clamped in a tree stand which we top up with water every so often and it lasts well into the New year. We get a Norway spruce (the traditional tree that typically drops needles a lot) but it hardly drops any needles.

Asda do do them. I didn't know either til I saw the advert where she gets a tree and the small print says 'trees in store 1st dec'.

hth

Make sure it's not next to a radiator, or if it is turn the radiator off. Being cool keeps them fresh for longer.

What kind of tree will you all be getting though? We always have a real tree and the last few years they have been £50-60 which i think is a huge amount of money for a something that only lasts a few weeks and and while they have looked good they have had no smell at all. I am desperate for that Christmas smell that I remember from my childhood, as it is we might as well have a fake.