Tree - fake or real? I can't decide.

[farendofafart]

I've had both kinds.

Real trees smell and look beautiful but they go brown and droopy too quickly, they make a mess and I just feel bad when it comes to throwing a young tree that might have lived 100 years on a tip for the sake of a couple of weeks festivity.

Fake trees make less mess and can be reused time after time, but they don't look or smell as good and I'm dubious as to whether all that plastic is really more environmentally friendly than throwing away a live tree.

Which do you have and why?

I've never had a real tree. This year I think I'd like one just to see.

I prefer a real tree, it looks better and the smell is divine. The trick to keeping them healthy is to keep it away from the radiator and put a small amount of sugar in the water and top up everyday. I understand the guilt about ripping them out of the ground though!

But no tree for us this year, we are moving 20 Dec and then going away on 30 Dec, and now that I am knocked up I expect we'll have a fake tree over the next few years

We get a real one now there are kids - we make an afternoon of going and picking one.

We get one from a local Christmas tree farm (who knew such things exist!) - they're sold within 24hrs of being cut (and they cut a bit off the bottom just before you put it in the car - rather like cutting the stems of flowers), and last year's was still in fine fettle when we took it down a month after we bought it.

We did buy one of their fancy stands that holds 6 pints of water and make sure it didn't run out.

Oh, and we get one of the more modern breeds rather than the ones we had when I was a kid that were sparsely covered in super-sharp spikes that shed in the carpet and stabbed you for months after.

I've been dithering and am now having both! The fake is bought and in position and I think looks really good! (John Lewis Fireside) Am looking forward to having something that lasts, looks symmetrical and doesn't fall over all bloody winter!

We have real in the living room and fake in the family room. I love the real tree the most, but it does make a mess and it sometimes houses little flies that are really annoying and bite the crap out of us!

Fake all the way . I can't cope with the needles dropping everywhere with real trees.

I cheat by using pine needle essential oil so it smells like christmas trees when you walk in - honestly last year a few people were fooled and were shocked when I told them my tree was plastic

Couldn't live without a real tree, just not the same without IMO. Ours doesn't go brown or droopy until right at the end of December and we have it up from the 1st! Needle drop has never been too bad either, I Hoover the room every day anyway so it's just a bit extra to pick up. I'd understand the needle drop issue if there wasn't an electrical item that picks them up in seconds and you had to do it manually but there is and you don't so...

Fake. Real ones are a total rip off.

its got to be real. the ones we get don't go brown or droop, never have done. we have a plastic sheet which goes under the tree but gets covered so you don't see it, needles don't drop onto the carpet.

the only bad bit is getting it out the house when its all over and done with - we normally have a 10ft tree and because its so big it wont go through doors etc. so we need to wrap it in an old sheet so the pine needles dont go everywhere when we move it.

Got to be real.

I assumed it was the lights that were the hazard, nothing to do with the tree.

an article to help you decide

Can't beat the smell of a real tree though.

I assumed it was the lights that were the hazard, nothing to do with the tree.

Pine trees are full of resin. Whilst they won't spontaneously combust, they are very flammable.

Real, I like choosing a different variety every year! Never had problems with dropping needles or going brown - keep away from heat and check water every day.

To lessen the guilt - the trees sold for Christmas would never have lived 100 years, they are grown in fields, very close to one another, specifically for Christmas. If they get too big and haven't been sold, they are chopped down, chopped up and chucked (I live right by fields where they are grown).

I love a real tree, but we live in a big old house with very high ceilings so needs a big tree. The amount of effort/time it took OH to get one in it's stand and upright and secured just wasn't worth it. To say it created an atmosphere would be an understatement!

We now have a 9ft artificial tree. Still takes a while to assemble but it's a lot less hassle than a real tree.

We don't have any storage to keep a fake tree in. Literally none: no loft or garage, beds have built in drawer storage so no under bed, one cupboard with the boiler in but it's split halfway up by a shelf type affair. So its real for us! Luckily I love a real tree though

We have artificial trees ( 3) ,the thing is you need to get a good quality one . I've never found a real tree that is symmetrical enough for my OCD husband and the needles are a nuisance with animals in the house .

Has to be real for me. Love how quirky and individual each of them are. Mine goes in my compost bin afterwards so I don't feel too environmentally unfriendly.

We had Fire Marshall training at work.

This video has convinced me never to have a real tree.

Sadly, because I do love them.

Stay safe everyone.

Just as aside, I'm in Germany where fake trees are rare, most homes would have a real one and many would use real candles on them too. It's interesting that it's not considered a particular fire hazard as such.

That video is chilling.