Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

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

Original poster

The Christmas tree debate: real or fake?

52 replies

Misty9 · 26/11/2017 22:58

We've got a 7 foot plastic tree but I'm hankering after a real one this year. But which would be more environmentally friendly? To ditch the fake and buy a real one (give fake one away) or stick with the fake one? We've had it about 3 years I think.

What are the benefits of each do people think?

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 26/11/2017 23:07

If you have already invested in a fake one then use it.

We are stuck in the cycle of buying a real one and it's bloody expensive. But feel we can't buy a plastic on So got to look to a replanting the bugger every year.

ByeGermsByeWorries · 26/11/2017 23:15

I love the smell of a real tree. Most places now are selling these weird rubbery trees with soft round spines which don't smell the same now, or they have the traditional type but really tiny ones, so I have an artificial one. Yesterday there was a chap outside Morrison's selling a huge 8ft traditional tree, I had to buy it for the smell. Blush

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 26/11/2017 23:24

We have the traditional Christmas tree argument every year. DH wants a fake one , I want a real one (we have always had a real one). We go to choose one, he picks some tiny pathetic thing, I go for the the one that wouldn't look out of place in Times square. We haggle and eventually go for one that he thinks is too big and I think is too small. It doesn't fit in the car, so the children all have to crane their necks at weird angles. When we get it home, it doesn't fit in the pot, so sawing is necessary. DH mutters crossly about the pine needles in his car. We saw a bit off the top so it fits in the room. We decorate it and I get all misty eyed about how beautiful it is. That's how we roll. Every year. It's tradition.

jocktamsonsbairn · 26/11/2017 23:35

Yep agree with platypus - real all the way!! Yet have a bit more character and a lovely smell!!!

ChishandFips33 · 26/11/2017 23:42

Used to have fake when I lived at home but found unfolding all the branches tedious (and the thought of having one and it ending up in landfill

We have real now and I get twitchy at the cost but we don't buy each other presents anymore as such so make a day of choosing the tree having lunch out instead

I like that each year the tree looks different despite having the same decorations

A Balsam Hill one has been tempting though

StreyyTV · 26/11/2017 23:42

We took the plunge and bought a fake pre-lit Balsam Hill tree. It was pretty expensive, but it should pay for itself in a few years and it's honestly the best tree we've ever had. It's really dense and perfectly lit, plus really realistic. One of the most notable things about it compared with most fakes is that is has a very natural shape to it - it's almost symmetrical but not quite, so it looks real. It gets compliments every year and we'd never go back to real now. Although I do miss the smell. Bought some 'Perfect Tree' Yankee candles and they're close, but not close enough.

mehhh · 26/11/2017 23:48

I have always had a fake one at my mums, I'm not fussed either way but dp wants a real one.... which is more environmentally friendly as we will probably go for whichever is best?

confused123456 · 26/11/2017 23:55

Personally I hate real trees. Too much mess. We have a fake one and I love it.

tiptopteepe · 26/11/2017 23:58

I love the real trees but they do make a mess and its quite wasteful really if you think about to cut a tree down just to watch it die.

CotswoldStrife · 27/11/2017 00:07

We have always had real trees as the main tree, DD has a pink fake one with lights for her bedroom. It was DH who insisted on the real tree, I'm not sure why as I don't think he had one as a kid. The smell is wonderful and it's a lovely Christmas tradition for us - we used to pick one and have it delivered but we have also picked a tree and had it cut down on the spot, or had it delivered by a dog-pulled sleigh to the car.

reluctantbrit · 27/11/2017 06:30

Real tree all the way, not only do I love the smell and texture, I also don't like the sight of fake ones.

Also, we only use real candles on the tree, won't work with fake trees.

There is twice a mess, bringing it in and taking it out.

It will be chopped down and either dried for firewood or it goes in the counci's big shredder and they use it for the park's flower beds. No waste here,

BusySittingDown · 27/11/2017 06:38

I’d love a real tree but all of the places that we have to put a tree are near a radiator. I also like to put the decorations up on the first of December so it would look a bit sad by Christmas.

My friend always gets a real tree, puts it up on the 1st. It looks beautiful, standing there all proud with its twinkly lights. By Christmas Eve it looks all sorry for itself, like it’s fed up of holding all those baubles!

speakout · 27/11/2017 06:50

Has to be real.

Fake trees are nasty.

I buy a huge 7 foot tree, one that doesn't drop, no sharp needles.
It's a big family event- DD and I go to our local garden centre, have a hot chocolate, take our time choosing the perfect tree, we get help loading in the car, ( usually rammed up near the gearstick and front window) OH and DS bring it in, OH secures it , put on christmas music and have a glass of port while we decorate.
The smell is beyond amazing.

Like others our council do a pick up and recycle, using the processed trees for plant mulching.

peanut2017 · 27/11/2017 07:02

We are getting a real tree this year and have no idea what to look out for in terms of type of tree etc.

When do you buy it? I would have always put up the tree on the 1st December but fear it would be dead by the time Christmas came?

speakout · 27/11/2017 07:07

peanut2017 I would not advise getting a real tree if you want to put it up so early. It will be crispy and grey by christmas day.

If you want a real tree then waiting is part of the deal.

We get ours a maximum of two weeks before christmas- sometimes 10 days.
I always buy a Nordman Fir. They don't drop , foliage is lush and dense and needles are soft and rounded. Put in a bucket of gravel and keep topped up with water.

MaidenMotherCrone · 27/11/2017 07:09

Op please don't get a tree, killed just to decorate your room for a few weeks.

Stick with your trusty artificial tree and feel good in the fact no tree died for youWink

#thinkofthetreesplease

speakout · 27/11/2017 07:14

Real trees are grown as a crop. No one is killing trees from virgin forest. These trees would not be planted or grown otherwise.

Real trees are carbon neutral.

Are you suggesting a plastic tree is environmentally helpful?

FlowerPotMum · 27/11/2017 07:36

Fake all the way. I have a huge bushy and dense 7 footer. Its beautiful.
I can't stand the unsymmetric-ness of real tress! Also hate the thoughy of a poor little tree chucked by the road side all sad and neglected.
I realise this is my issue :-(

speakout · 27/11/2017 07:50

Asymmetry is part of the appeal of a real tree.

No industrial perfection.

Our council do a christmas tree run in the first week of January. real trees are collected and turned into mulch or compost for use in parks.

If you drove around the neighbourhood in that week all those "poor little trees" lying by the roadside are actually awaiting collection .

MaidenMotherCrone · 27/11/2017 07:59

Trees are living things, grown as a crop yes, but still a tree. Mines is made from driftwood.

MaidenMotherCrone · 27/11/2017 08:00

All those trees have died just to decorate houses for a couple of weeks!

ohidoliketobe · 27/11/2017 08:07

Madien or an alternative view - those trees have been grown for 5+ years and contributed to the environment (and the economy) during that time. It's like being upset about eating carrots ...

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 27/11/2017 08:14

Our tree is fake

Its 27 years old this Christmas, but loads of people seem to think its real

(Its covered with lights and ornaments though...somthey coukd just be blinded by the glare)

We also put tree scent on it so it might be the smell thats fooling some short sighted people

We love it (but i would like a new one...at some point)

MaidenMotherCrone · 27/11/2017 08:17

No it's not the same at all. Everyone has different opinions on all aspects of life... I wouldn't have a real tree in my house.

IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 27/11/2017 08:18

I don't like the idea of killing a tree just to decorate a house. I know they are planted specifically for this purpose, but even so. To me it is in the same vein as saying mink are bred to make fur coats and therefore it is okay (obviously, not in the same league but as an idea).

I think a nice fake tree is just as pretty as a real one - the whole thing is an artificial idea anyway because it's not as if trees naturally grow indoors with baubles on!