Please recommend me your fake Christmas Tree

[MrsBertMacklin]

Looking at a John Lewis one that claims to be easy to assemble -I've fallen for that lie before.

Looking for a five feet one, happy to spend up to about £80 if it's worth it!

Watching :) Although I'm looking for a 3ft.

I'm also looking at a JL one, but bigger than 5ft. We went to Bluewater at the weekend and I asked when they will be putting them on display and was told the beginning of October. We are going to go and look when they are on display and hopefully will be able to determine whether they are truly 'easy to assemble'.

Thanks, I think I'll do what Grin is going to do.

I'm watching this too. We got a 7 foot tree last year, but it's slim and I don't really like how narrow it is. I'd like to get a fuller tree this year and relegate the slim tree to another part of the house.

You have to see them in person, websites lie. We bought a lovely one at Tesco the week before Christmas, it was a Finest one vastly reduced. It has a little extra embellishment with some extra pine cones and berries etc. Really helps flesh out decorations.

Mine is from Balsalm Hill - not sure of the prices these days, just checked my inbox and I paid £120 for a 4.5 foot one. They are often reduced though.

It is a lovely tree and has already paid for itself as it is moving onto Xmas no 4 and I used to pay £35-40 for a usually much too big one that I had to lop things off when I bought a real one.

We have low ceilings and this one sits beautifully on a low wooden box in a corner.

Lavender, have to admit my first thought was 'bloody hell, £120 for a 4 ft tree?!' but having looked at their site; those are fantastically realistic!

And they have a September sale on...

Please tell me though, how easy to assemble, less than 30 minutes, more than an hour? Do you need to be drunk to get through it?

Very easy, mine is not lit, I like simple things that can't go wrong. You just stick the top bit onto the bottom bit having added the stand already. A lot of the branches are hinged so the fall into place. There are two types, real tip or whatever it is called and then hidden in the middle more 'normal' type branches. 20% or something like that to add bulk! probably changed now.

You then fluff out and move the branches to where you want them while wearing the white cotton gloves provided . Makes me think that the tree is not aimed at people like me as my hands are usually lacking from looking after horses and gardening.

Reckon I spend 30 mins on the fluffing bit but you wouldn't have to do that much if you didn't want to.

Fab tree, can see it going on forever.

I bought a Balsalm Hill pre lit tree in the sale in December. I couldn't resist putting it up for a few days as my real tree was pants .I am usually big fan of real trees but the past couple have been £50 and rubbish , anyway my new tree is beautiful, although I feel hard done to as I didn't get any fluffing gloves.Really easy to assemble.

Stop! Don't spend all that on a JL tree!!!

I got one at Tesco online and I was sceptical but it is the best tree I've ever had. It is thick and busy with lovely cones on many of the branches. I absolutely love it. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Let me try to find it...

I bought one from Next about 15 years ago. I like it as it's on a wicker pot rather than on a stand. It's in three parts that you put together and then pull the branches out, so quite quick.

In a wicker pot

Here it is...

What a little beauty

Best tree ever!

You were robbed ella

Have a look at Hayes Garden World online. I got a 5 ft prelit Noble Fir tree which is fabulous. VERY like Balsam Hill, really good quality, brilliant delivery. Think it took me about 10/15 mins to set up (and I'm a faffy mare)and I got free storage bag. Love it!

I bought one from Hayes and returned it trash, before I bought the BH one.

I didn't think the tree I received, Weeping Spruce Feel-Real was a patch on the BH Fraser Fir.

It had far more ordinary branches than the BH one.

Maybe I was not comparing like with like but I was so disappointed I sent it back and paid return postage (big deal, I am tight).

We bought a pre-lit one from Amazon a few years ago, it arrived about the 21st Dec- I hated it with a passion.
(Though the previous year I'd spent £50 on a very average real tree)

The following year, I took time to faff the branches and add more lights. A decoration on every branch and I love it now.

It has to sit near the radiator so a real tree would suffer.
I have one of those ornate cast iron stands and a gorgeous tree skirt.