Real vs Fake- The Great Christmas Tree Debate

[Discopanda]

Hi everyone, we moved into our first home together (well, first owned home after our little flat then 2 years living with in-laws) so this will be our first Christmas in the house. I can't decide whether we should get a real or fake tree. Obviously if we go for a fake tree we can reuse it and it doesn't drop pine needles, but we've got wooden floors anyway. Real trees have that proper Christmassy smell and I don't want to take up too much space in the loft. Our living room isn't particularly big and we have an almost 3 year old. What are people's thoughts on real vs fake?

We did have a fake tree when the DC were small but then we started getting real trees. There is no going back!

Real always here. We haven't got much space so we put ours on a coffee table in the corner, that way we get the height without such a big diameter, cheaper than a full size one too.

Real, every time

Fake - can't bear all the needles dropped from a real one, plus getting it in and out of the house. Also, far too many incontinent dogs and cats in this house, who would be drawn to a real tree..

Whoknowswheretheslimegoes, That's a good idea, we have a corner coffee table that we were thinking of putting in the shed to make room for the tree, but we could just do the same as you. That would mean less bending too as I'll be six months pregnant at Christmas

Went back to fake. Live in a cottage with very low ceilings and found that the real trees were sprayed with something that irritated my eyes and could not air this out in a small room.

We got a real one last year which had no pine scent at all, I was bitterly disappointed.

We don't have room for presents under ours, apart from a few small ones on the surface of the coffee table (it's the sort with a bottom shelf and baskets, we keep all the Wii stuff in it) but ours is in full view of the street, so we don't want much on display under it anyway. It's easier to water up at coffee table height too. There are bookshelves on the wall in the corner, we attach the tree to a small hook under the top shelf to stop cats and children pulling it over.

Fake every time and we stand ours on the coffee table in the corner as well, just get a nice cover for the ugly stand

sadly fake

But if you have a large, cold porch or hall, a live one will survive better without going bald.

I went back to a fake one a couple of years ago.

Like Leopard we have low ceilings, the woodburner usually stays in for three months constantly between December and February. The room where the tree is is generally quite warm and our tree goes up at the end of the first week in December. Looked like a twig by Christmas one year it had lost so many needles.

I bought a nice one from Balsam Hill, expensive but it will have paid for itself this year on its third outing.

I have a fake "flat back" tree, so it only takes up half the space

Ours survive in a warm room from about mid Dec to 12th night without too much needle drop, we get the Nordmann ones, put them on the far side of the room to the radiator and we water them diligently. We have high ceilings and easy access to the front door though.

Real. We live in a drafty Victorian flat which such trees love. Me, not so much

No contest.

There is no such thing as a fake tree- it's plastic on a stick. I detest synthetic plastic trees and flowers. Think plastic roses compared to real ones.

whoknows- I love the Nordmann fir- that's our choice too, lush foliage, hardly drops, even if it does the needles are soft and not spikey. we get a 7 foot one, not until the 15th or so, and water every day.
The whole house smells like Narnia,

real. Always real.

We had a real one last year and it didn't smell at all. Was very disappointed. I think you need a needle dropper to get a good smell. Going back to fake this year.

Real every time. I also buy Christmas tree scented candles from Sainsburys to up the pine smell.

We have a fake we use if we'll be going away for Christmas. If we're here (rare) then we have real.