Christmas Tree decisions and dilemmas

[manywanderings]

Can anyone help me work through this. We've had a real Christmas tree for the last 10 years or so and I love it. A few years ago I thought I'd try an artificial pre-lit one for less hassle and it was an expensive balsam hill one - I hated it and sent it back (looked realistic but so prickly it hurt!). So then we switched to getting potted real Nordman Firs - only 4ft or 5ft as don't have the space for anything bigger. They were great - I love them. Because they still have roots and are potted they didn't drop at all - even when dragging it out through the house afterwards. The only downside was the weight and mess initially. It was heavy with the bucket full of soil on the end and usually a bit muddy on the outside of the pot and we'd have to put the whole pot inside a bigger pot and it was heavy to carry through the house. Once in place it was fine and I loved watering it.

Another time one year I sent for a different artificial one and then sent it back and got a potted Nordman fir again.

Putting the lights on is a right faff every year. I now have joint problems and can't stand on a chair to do them. Our son does them but - well it looks a bit messy afterwards! OH has had a few health issues this year and can't do anything heavy.

So logically this was the year we should get a small (4 foot) artificial pre-lit tree. I've sent for one - it has a ceramic pot - it looks very nice and realistic. But I just feel miserable! I just keep thinking - just what is the point of having a tree if it's not real?! I know - what is the point of having a tree at all - it's tradition. I am trying to like it (only had it out of the box to check it out so far). But I keep thinking of sitting in the room looking at the tree and thinking - it's not real. It's just an ornament. It looks real but it feels plastic. Because it is! And then miserable when I realised it doesn't just stand there like a tree - you have to bend all the branches down and get them right - this is something different altogether - a new load of faffs to deal with. And what happens when the pre-lighting stops working - how long will that last and will it mean buying a whole new tree. But the main thing that got me down was the weight! I thought it would be much lighter than a real tree. It might be a bit lighter, but it's heavy with this permanent heavy pot on the bottom. I wouldn't be able to lift it on my own - so maybe it's not a good long term thing. If we need help lifting it and carrying it why not just get another potted one?

So help me please. Because I'm on the verge of sending another tree back and ordering another potted Nordman fir, and flip flopping between - just keep it and get on with it and - will I be happy?

Edit - just to add our potted trees usually did for two years and then got used as an outdoor tree the third year. By the third year they look ropey!

It sounds like you should just send it back and get the real free that you really want!

Go to a garden centre and choose an artificial tree you like. You don’t have to buy one in a heavy pot and bending the branches down is the work of seconds.

I can’t bring myself to get a fake tree even though it would be much less hassle/mess/waste and would fit the house better. I love the whole process of picking a nice tree, and of course the smell!

I’d send your new one back and buy a small real one, yours not going to settle until you do.

I know I'm starting to feel that way. I was trying to be practical but I won't feel right. The main appeal was a) it would be lightweight (which it isn't) so I could do the odd thing myself. and b) the idea of it being pre-lit and not faffing winding lights round it. I'm now convincing myself of all the downsides of an artificial one - it has to be stored somewhere, it needs carrying up and down from the loft each year ........... instead of stting in the garden in it's pot.

There was one year I was allergic to a real tree but that turned out to be something it had been sprayed with rather than the tree itself - and thankfully that wore off after the first 2 or 3 days - not had an issue with the pot grown ones so far (from Christmas trees direct). I can't really do gardening any more so it;s nice having something real.

Just to add OH and son couldn't give a toss either way ha ha. So it's just me being emotional.

That's a good tip too :-) I've been doing things online - unfortunately there isn't a garden centre nearer than 60 miles away. Our local one closed down. Some supermarkets have them. But I wouldn't want to if it wasn't pre-lit. How does it work with the pre-lit ones? If the lights go does the whole tree have to be replaced?

Get one without a heavy pot? As for the lights, mine are still working after about 15 years, although I do supplement them . Probably a new tree would have more bulbs.
I’d like a real tree but can’t justify the cost.

That is a good point, cost saving annually. Thank you. I liked the idea of one with a pot as have a particular small table we use to stand it on and the ones with the stands - the stands are too wide to fit on the table! It's narrow but wide and just fits where we have the tree. So I guess the weight of the pot is less than a real tree. And would make it stable. I'm just finding it mind boggling looking at so many different artificial trees online - the trend seems to be for looking real but I just want it to feel soft lol. With the pot grown 4 foot trees they usually cost about £80 but we use them for two years so £40 a year. The idea was to plant it out and dig it up and use it every year but we don't get round to planting it as too much hassle so it stays in the pot and is fine for two years indoors. And then does as an outdoor tree by the door. Had the lights and baubles for donkeys years.

You can get lights now the sort of have a ring at the top and then cascade down, they are really simple to put on if thats the only reason you are getting an artificial tree. Sounds like having a real tree is really important to you

We bought one of those last year for our ‘secondary’ tree in the dining room, and was delighted with it. It was warm white. We have a tree with coloured lights in the sitting room so have ordered a coloured version for there hoping it is ok and not too bright. Apparently you can adjust the brightness.
If it is not suitable there it can go in the garden. However DH says he is not doing any outside lights because last year I apparently described his efforts as looking like “Chav Central” and his feelings were hurt.

‘we were’ delighted with it not was. I couldn’t bear to let that linger.

Thank you. I think it's just hard letting go when we've always had a real tree since we moved here over 9 years ago. And yes I do want a real tree but I was being practical as we both have health issues now. We do have a strong teenager who would help! But it would be a lot of hassle and involve us as well - the potted ones, when they arrive are often very muddy and wet round the base and need cleaning up.

I'm starting to swing towards keeping the artificial one because there are so many online and it's mind boggling. I don't like the idea of having to store it every year. With the potted one, we didn't throw it away afterwards - it lived outside until the next year. But the last one is no good any more so it's due a replacement.

I do like the idea of the convenience of a pre-lit artificial tree but it's such a huge change of routine and habit and part of me is thinking we should keep the old routine until son has left home at least. I'm just dithering! I decided to be practical this year and make life easier - but was disappointed when it came.

I know it sounds odd but if it's artificial I don't want it to try and look real - I want them to be two different things! If it's artificial I want it to look artificial lol. Instead of kidding me it's a real tree when it doesn't FEEL like a real tree even if it looks like it. I will probably just wake up in a day or two and think - just get on with it.

I've always had a real tree in the main room and artificial ones in the other rooms. Both have their good and bad points. Artificial ones can be heavy and bulky to store, whilst real ones can be messy, especially when removing them. However, the easiest way I find is to put it inside an old duvet case and then carry it outside - no mess at all. It sounds to me like you would really like a real tree, but only you can decide that. Whichever you choose, have a lovely Christmas.

I would honestly go for the real tree and maybe the lights that cascade down. You can always show your son any of the videos on youtube that show you how you can light a tree. You don't need string lights either you can get "cluster" ones too.

I watched a lot of how to decorate your tree videos years ago so I feel mine has always looked amazing. I have a Balsam Hill one, not spiky but it does depend on what type of tree you choose.

The cons of an artificial tree are you need to fluff it and arrange the branches, even a pre-lit one. This takes time and effort. I am fortunate to have helpers so everyone does 2 branches per layer. And yes if the lights die on a pre-lit one I would replace the tree because replacing the lights that are attached to the branches is tedious and would take a day to do it.

I feel you are just going to be disappointed with an artificial one. Get a real one and get help cleaning it up and bringing it in.

It sounds like your main issue is that you want the moon on a stick a fake tree that looks perfectly real but the needles aren't pointy or stiff. You're not going to get that, so you will have to work out which aspects you can compromise on and which you just can't.

There are definite pros and cons to real and artificial, I have had both and actually love both. Our current tree is an artificial one, it's a pre-lit snow-flocked 7 footer (from John Lewis, it wasn't massively expensive). The pre-installed lights don't work any more but I just try out different light sets (I have dozens of the bloody things) on it instead, so each year we have a different look. The tree I grew up with was silver and white tinsel with coloured fairy lights, so I don't feel a tree needs to look real either, it just has to look festive.

Ours weighs almost 20kg but then, it is the 7 foot high version. A tree that is three or four feet won't be heavy and won't be difficult to manage. Forget about pots on the bottom, if the feet are too wide for the table it sits on, either a large tray or a piece of plywood or similar will do. You can disguise that with a piece of Christmassy fabric (I got some from a haberdashery).

Some brilliant tips there - the duvet cover and an additional base on the table :-)

Op just get real

We get real and they are light and we put it in a bucket with bricks once inside the room
At the end DH cuts down allnt he branches and puts them nearly in IKEA bag before taking the carcass. Out.

Re needles ...what's Xmas without needle ??

We had big real Christmas tree is all our lives. But about five years ago neither of us could be asked with another bloody Christmas tree, so I bought one of those full height white self lit trees from Cox & Cox, it looks like a silver birch in winter. Then we hang ornaments all over it but dont have to faff with lighting. Best decision ever, looks great, so easy to put it away.

We have a real tree, in fact we are off to get it tomorrow, everyone always says oh will it survive till Christmas…

1. If I’m paying for a real tree you bet I’m enjoying it as soon and long as possible
2. weve had trees from the same place the last 13 years, they’ve always survive well into March once dragged in the garden. The year before was April.
3. i water it everyday, trick is to use a little bit of lemonade. We also don’t have heating on in our house and it’s no where near the radiator, I fact it’s near the coldest part of the house.

yes the needles can be annoying but nothing a quick hoover can’t fix. We drag it to the garden once finish and leave it there for the winter, the wildlife love it. Always see birds jumping out etc.

Decision made. Sending the artificial one back - even though it's very nice. And ordered the same 4 foot pot grown Nordman Fir one we've had before :-) That will last 2 maybe 3 Christmases kept outside in it's pot afterwards. And yes it'll be a hassle to get in and out of the house without mud and water getting on the thing we have on the table. But once it's up I'll be happy. Just not quite ready for the change yet - but I may be in two or three years time - and we may move before then so I'll see what storage is like after moving.

We have a strong teenager so it should be fine. And it'll arrive and be quirky and may be an odd shape but I don't care. That's what makes me happy.

If someone actually repotted it in a bigger pot after Christmas it could last us more than 3 years .............. Somehow, in January, nobody feels like re-potting a Christmas tree and then it gets forgotten! But it's usually fine the following year - it's by the third year they don't last without re-potting.

The four foot potted ones hit the sweet spot with me - fit the space - not too big to get in the house and not as much hassle as the cut trees we used to get - trying to get it to stand up in that stand thing.

By the way the needles don't drop when they're pot grown.potted :-) Maybe a dozen pine needles come off and it's quite amazing. Combination of Nordman Fir and potted roots. The hassle is the big heavy muddy pot with roots poking out - but we just stand that inside a larger pot.

Now I would happily do without any Christmas tree in future if I could have a good holiday over Christmas instead!

I have had a good and quite expensive artificial tree. As I’ve had for about 12 years so far it doesn’t really owe me anything but every year I buy a product called senticles. There are several different types but I prefer the white winter fir ones. This means my artificial tree smells like a proper Christmas tree. You just hang them on a branch. According to their own description they last for 30 days. I don’t find that, they last a good 2 weeks but after that they fade so I order enough to add some new ones half way through but then my tree is up from December 1st to 12 th night. Anyone who comes to my house always remarks on how good it smells and a fair few of my friends are now also using the sticks. A good friend of mine is a Jehovah witness so obviously doesn’t do Christmas in any way but even she comments on how good it smells.

Yes that's the down side to my decision. The tree won't be going up as early.

Send it back.

But a potted Nordman from your local garden centre. Buy a plastic-lined wicker basket from Amazon to put the pot in lighter than a ceramic pot.
Is there a kind neighbour who can help wrangle the tree in and out?
Or could you pay a local handyman to get it sorted for you?