Real or fake Christmas tree? Share your opinions with Homebase for a chance to win a £300 Homebase voucher. NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

‘Tis the season once again. With Christmas on its way, Homebase is keen to get Mumsnetters’ views on the pros and cons of getting a real or fake tree.

Here’s what they have to say: “The Christmas tree is at the heart of everyone’s Christmas look but where do you stand on the annual dilemma - real or fake? Are you a fan of the fresh pine scent and traditional feel you only get from a real tree? Or do you go for a versatile artificial tree most years? Let us know if you go as far as ‘lights included’ or if your fake tree came already snow-tipped and adorned with berries and cones. Tell us all about your trees from over the years, whether you decide on authentic or artificial this Christmas and any tips you have on caring for real trees.”

So what do you think? Does the authentic smell of a real tree win you over? Or are smaller artificial trees better suited to your home? Do you get your family's much-loved tree out of the loft each year or is it a Christmas tradition to go together and choose one? Does real or fake really matter to you and your family?

Whatever your opinion, Homebase wants to know.

We’ll enter everyone who posts on this thread into a prize draw to win a £300 Homebase voucher.

Thanks and good luck.
MNHQ

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Has to be real. We get one that doesn't drop their needles. There's something magic about having a real tree in the house, the scent of the needles and the swooshy rustle it gives if you brush against it.

But we only get one if we are going to be at home on Christmas Day. Often we travel to stay with family and then we don't have a tree at home at all, just some lights and a bit of tinsel. I can't afford to buy a real tree if we aren't going to be there, they are an expensive way of doing it. But only having one occasionally does make it more special in some ways, I think.

One year I left it too late to get a real tree (I think it was the 20th December, so a fairly reasonable date to buy one imo), everywhere nearby had completely sold out and I ended up driving miles all over the place in the dark to find one. I actually found one at last at Homebase , they saved Christmas for us that year!

Always had fake since I had my own place, but we have a bigger house this year, and I'm very tempted to go real - love the smell

Well real smells lovely and looks nice but after getting one last year that promptly lost all its needles within a few days (yes I tried all the tips and tricks!) we shall be going back to artificial.
There are some really lovely ones out there these days, the children love it when Homebase create their little Christmas zone in the store with all the lights and trees.
Plus you can buy those smelly sticks that hang on the tree and smell like different types of Christmas tree.,

Real every time. I dislike the fake christmas trees with a passion.

The place we get ours from, the guy is literally going every couple of days and chopping down more trees, so they are truly fresh.

You can see from the picture I posted last night of the tree making its exit via the window (on 6 Jan) that it truly is "non-needle-drop" I keep it watered for the first couple of weeks but usually start forgetting after Christmas.

I don't get the "environment" issue compared to fake one: these trees wouldn't be grown if there weren't a market, so at least for the years they are growing, they are emitting oxygen and being "green". For every tree cut down in a pine plantation, another one is planted.

I can understand the argument that a real rooted tree is better - but given the size of the tree that "fits" our room, it just wouldn't be practical.

Definitely real, the feel and smell make Christmas for me. We always had one when I was a child, although mum switched to a (very expensive) artificial tree once I left home. Last few years DH and I have had a potted mini table-top tree due to lack of space, decorated with ceramic/glass beads. Last year's is growing in the garden, although that's the first time I've managed to keep one going.

This will be 9-month-old DD's first Christmas and I am delighted that we have room to have a big real tree again. It will probably come from Bethany Christian Trust who raise money for homeless projects through Christmas tree sales. You order online and collect from one of a variety of sites on your chosen date. Have done it several times and trees are always lovely.

Real all the way. We get Ikea's no drop ones, last at least 5 weeks. Don't smell as much but they're great. Its a full on Christmas Day out, to travel there/singing songs in the car/food on the way home. I love the shape rather than a conical plastic one.
Brought up with a plastic one, but understand that was due to cost. Real ones you can pick up for £25 from supermarkets. I would rather not have a present and have the tree

I like artificial for the ease .... Never had a problem with it and always remember the artificial ones in my childhood - they had their own smell (with the cheap tacky tinsel) and it reminds me of Christmas. Then met my other half and he flatly refuses to do Christmas unless we have a real tree as that's how he was brought up. He says Christmas isn't Christmas without a real tree.

Artificial for me, as there's been far too many chistmas-tree related back injuries when I've had a real tree because my XP was the most shockingly cack-handed man alive. The variety and range of the incidents kept my chiropractor in stitches till we split up.

Last year I had no tree at all, as I live in a small flat - just a selection of baubles & lights in a variety of glass containers - which looked gorgeous. This year I've bought a twig tree - the rustic sort, not the modern pre-lit variety - and I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks.

When there's children involved, a tree is a total necessity for the gifts to go under; but for just adults, not so much. If I become a grandparent, I will have to reclaim my gorgeous 6ft artificial tree back from my parents!

Main tree Real - we have a big victorian house and put a big real tree in the living room bay window, it looks and smells like Christmas. Going with DS to choose it is part of the Christmas ritual.
We also have a small fake tree in the family room which DS is in charge of decorating.

We've always had real ones until I read how many insects come free with them ??X 000000000000!!

Now we have a lovely, posh prelit one which can be sprayed with detail to no ill effect!!

Definitely real. We always had a real one when I was little which grew in the garden and was dug up every year and now we buy a real one annually, although they don't seem to come with roots any more so you can't plant them. I would never have a fake tree, they seem tacky to me, although an know you can get nice ones now.

Artificial as a child, and still artificial as an adult with my own home. The tree comes down from the loft 12 days before Christmas and gets decorated with all sorts of glittery tat (supplemented by weird creations made by the dc at nursery).

Fake!! No needles in feet and no needle showers when the cat decides to climb it!

We have artificial trees , one that we dress and a fibre optic silver wonder that lights up the landing . We had a real tree instead but I don't like the smell and it made a mess despite being non drop and my DH following all the care instructions to the letter ! Our other issue with real trees is that my DH has needs symmetry in his sad life and real trees generally are not .

I have never had a real tree, always artificial. In fact, we have 4 trees we usually put up

Have only ever had a real tree and don't see that changing anytime soon, even though I am sure that there are many practical advantages of fake and some fake trees are very lovely. It somehow seams wrong to have a fake tree, no matter how good it looks / how much the tea one makes me itch!

Real every year. Last year we stumbled across a Christmas tree farm and DD really enjoyed spending a morning with me and DH walking through what felt like a forest to find our 'perfect' tree. But that's the thing, none of them were perfect, they all had their imperfections and not symmetrical and I kinda liked that. There was the cursing that we couldn't get the sodding thing in it's stand (cos the farm didn't do that for us) so that was one minus point for real. But also we don't have the storage space for an artificial one for the 11 months it does t get used. Real all the way

Real for us, this year is the first year we can go fully festive in our new house!

Always had an artificial. It's far cheaper and less faffing.

Fake here but I looooove the smell of real ones! I buy myself a christmas pine/spice scented candle and light it every night from the first of December, means the house smells gorgeously christmas at and I still get the ease of having an artificial tree :)

Always a real one here , I just love the way they look and smell , the biggest faff is getting the trunk to fit into the holder (have had to attack with kitchen knives in the past when we couldn't find a saw )

In my head we as a family decorate the tree together while listening to Christmas music and the adults sipping prosecco . In reality I end up doing most of it myself while they argue over who gets to put the star/angel on the top depending on who wins the row !

We also do the buying a new bauble for each child every year , I love going through them every year and remembering choosing them . None of them match but they look fabulous together .

Happy days

Has to be real. I love going to pick it, waiting to see how it drops etc. they are expensive though!

With 2 cats, a 2 year old dd and a 6 month old grandson, it's artificial for me. Last year DD stripped the tree to about half way up so I took it down and hung the lights and baubles around the walls instead. It actually looked really pretty so part of me is thinking I might do that again and get a smaller (possibly real?!?) tree.

I would rather have no tree than a fake one.

There's nothing like un-netting that tree and realising it's far too big! I love the smell of them and fake ones always look, well, fake.

We always get non-drop trees and despite parking them next to a radiator in a room with a wood burner, they always last.

I am a person that puts it up late and takes it down on 1st Jan though.