Has anyone else been allergic to their Christmas tree?

[TornadoTrinity]

Last year, my nose was going bananas as our tree got a bit older. It took ages to work out what was causing it, but it was honestly miserable. I had to hide upstairs and make DH take it away! My nose recovered shortly after, but since then any cut flowers or anything will set me off.

I do have allergies anyway, but this was the beginning of me getting them indoors and certainly the first time I'd had it in the depths of winter

Do I need to get a fake tree? Or has anyone found a tree which doesn't cause this, having been allergic before?

Yeah, I do. Apparently it's the mould spores on the tree that cause it. The only solution for us is a fake tree in the house and a tiny gesture of a real tree in the back garden.

Ah balls. Thanks though. I'll see what I can find which isn't too fake.

Yup they make me cough. I’m better with the old fashioned dropping needles ones that the fuller non-drop ones.

The scent of a real tree drives my sinuses insane. Fake all the way here for me. I can't even have flowers or plants in my house.

Yes

I have MCAS & have just started reacting to flowers in the house too 😔

Can't have a real tree in the house, had one when I was growing up, but DParents live in a big drafty house and the tree is in its own alcove and always put up and decorated by DM.

When I first moved in with DH we bought our own real tree and my hands itched when I put it up, then over the next week, my nose started to run and then my eyes to itch. Tree+small modern house is not a combination that works for me.

I can tolerate some cut flowers but tend not to bother, that plus they have to be cat safe, and even then they just knock them over.

Thanks all. My allergies this summer have been particularly bad and DC has also had it which has triggered a cough which she needs an inhaler for. So think a real tree is a no go this year!

Me! I’d never had a real tree and was over the moon to get one the year before last. I had really bad hay fever type symptoms but just thought I had a cold. Went for a weekend away and recovered until we came home and the sneezing started again.
Back to fake last year and no issues at all.

I have the opposite - real tree is fine, but fake one brings me out in hives! (dust allergy maybe? Who knows)

Not in early September, no!

@BeyondShrinks

I have the opposite - real tree is fine, but fake one brings me out in hives! (dust allergy maybe? Who knows)

Oh no! I didn't know there was a possibility of a reaction to fake trees too 😩

But thank you. That's useful to know.

I don't think I have a dust allergy hit who knows at this point?

@Mybalconyiscracking

Not in early September, no!

Well no, but this is the Christmas board so we have diplomatic immunity from people accusing us of discussing it too early please and thank you

DD is allergic to the point of hospitalisation, took me 5 bloody years to figure out the reason we spent every Christmas night in hospital was the tree we lovingly put up on Christmas Eve night. She's 31 now and still allergic, she can't even go to the supermarket in Dec because they have real trees for sale in the lobby.

A friend is. They got themselves a real tree as a special treat last year and decided to sleep in the same room as the tree for that special festive feeling. He was hospitalised

My brother is a gardener and is now allergic apparently the more you touch and are around Christmas trees the worse the allergy gets, he now suffers from sores when he touches them when it used to just be sneezing etc.

Yes, my son is allergic to real trees so we have fake. I'm always explaining as lots of people seem to turn their nose up at a fake tree.

Yup. I found out on the way home in the car with a seven foot spruce taking up the back seat and sitting on my shoulder as the ex drove home, laughing at me complaining that my hands were burning and I was covered in tiny blisters.

It certainly made that first Christmas interesting.

DP thinks a third of a knackered plastic tree shoved in a plant pot is more than enough. I miss having the real trees, though, as all I need to do is never, ever touch the things and stay about six foot away

DH always had a real Christmas tree growing up and we continued the tradition. A few years ago he started to get really ill every December and started getting better in January when we got read of the tree. Last year we got a faux tree for the first time and he was fine but did feel rough when we were near some pine trees.

Yes, I get hives now. Part of my adult onset allergies. I invested in a really nice fake.

Yes!!! I got incredibly bad infections every Christmas and then realised it was the tree. We now have a beautiful fake one and I haven’t been sick since.

I am ok with Nordmam I think but we went for a a different type one abs I was definitely allergic to that.

Yes my niece is allergic to Christmas trees. They always have an artificial but when she comes into our house where we always have a real tree she ends up sneezing etc

I am too. Come up in terrible hives if I go near them, or any type of fir tree. Very disappointing.

It is dissapointing actually. I actually don't care that much about the tree, but, weirdly, I'm going to miss shopping for a tree! Boo!

I've broken it to DH who isn't that fussed, and I don't think the kids will care too much, as long as presents appear under it