Artificial Christmas trees - pros and cons

Last year,I took a small branch from one of the trees in my garden,painted it silver and stood it in a weighted vase.The baubles were hung on it and a few chocolates for grandkids.I had many compliments on it and my nephew exclaimed that it would cost a lot for something similar in a shop or garden centre.Easy to do and saves the real/plastic tree dilemma!

I detest artificial trees. I just love the smell of a real tree.

In each of the houses we have lived in we bought a small, rooted tree for our first Christmas there. In the New Year it was planted in the garden. One of those trees is over 60 feet tall now!

But after those first trees we always had artificial trees indoors - kinder to pets paws and crawling/toddling babies.

This year we will have our 8 foot artificial tree in the dining room; and a 6 foot white twiggy (birch?) tree in the hall - there's not enough room for a 'cone' shaped tree. The 3 foot tree we planted in the back garden six years ago is now eight feet tall and will be lit again this year, and I may get a natural cut tree for the front garden. DH can recycle it to fuel the boiler after Christmas.

I usually get the tree out the loft about a week before we want to dress it, rinse the dust off in the shower, give it a good shake and leave it do dry thoroughly before spritzing with a pine scented spray. As the room gets warm it smells wonderful.

In recent years natural trees have become horrendously expensive, but there are some incredibly realistic artificial ones available now.

I have a real one planted in a large pot in the garden which I’ve had for around 10 years and a colossal artificial tree that I bought from a charity shop so many years ago I’ve forgotten and once it’s full of baubles it looks magnificent.

I've never had a real tree. Not for any particular reason, maybe because we didn't have one growing up.
We had a silver tinsel tree, my mum passed it on to me when I was in my 20s. It's long since given up the ghost! I had a beautiful fibre optic tree, but lost the base while moving. I was devastated. I now have a black tree. I love it. It will be around for years to come.

Bijou
That's sad.
Love and imagination have no limits.

Bijou
That's sad.
Love and imagination have no limits.

Always a small real tree. Two were re-potted years ago into larger pots and even though not sold as 'rooted' trees they are growing quite happily - but too big to bring into the house now.

We had real trees of varying sizes for about 20 years, they were the smell of Christmas. Now it's a tall artificial one, the decision taken out of our hands really as DIL is allergic to the pine resin. She put up with it the first year she was dating our son but as it was obvious the relationship was going to be permanent we felt we had no choice. Like other posters I do have 3 real twigs which I frosted and have white lights twined around them. They are put in windows and I much prefer them to the tree!

What a lovely memory Bijou. Make do and mend I suppose? ?

Had a real tree for 49 years. Just got fed up of the annual cost. Bought a super one from John L in a sale. Love it and hopefully will use for a lot more years.

Always a real tree from the local farmer. The scouts collect after Christmas for reuse, or you can take the tree to the village green and have it chipped for free. I love the social aspect, chatting to the farmer and neighbours when we are all choosing our trees and then meeting up again at the chipping station to exchange news. Over the years the trees have provided great entertainment for various kittens and cats and I love that the house smells of pine. Its the real aroma of Christmas for me.

We've had our artificial tree for many years and it still looks good- better than many real trees I've seen. But I would really love to replicate the smell of a natural tree. I have tried several Yankee Candles that are supposed to smell like a Christmas tree but they just don't. Our local garden centre has some perfumed sticks to hang on the tree that are supposed to do the job but when I sniffed them in the packet they smelled like toilet cleaner to me. Anyone know if they work? Maybe you've got another suggestion?

Bought an artificial tree for eldest sons first Christmas, am still using it 46years later. Children and grandchildren protest when I say I would like to get a new one.

We have a real tree in a pot in our front garden.every year we bring it in decorate it with a few baubles but mostly twinkling lights.we love it but poppy our cat is not happy but a few extra biscuits will put her in a better mood.buy the way merry Christmas everyone hugs and kisses.

I have a small artificial tree, about 18" high with built in lights which change colour and speed according to the setting... got it years ago in Woolies for our small holiday cottage. We always had a big 'real' tree at home but since DH died I have rather lost the will. Now I've downsized to a small cottage I'll probably use the Woolies one as space is limited, unless there's such a thing as a 'backless' tree which can be shoved against a wall

Interesting. Have to assume I'm the only one, then.

Our tree is made of (real) twigs! Cost quite a lot at the time but it comes out every year and looks good with lights and our many baubles added to each year while on holiday. We must have had it 20 years and still as good as new and when it finally dies there will be no plastic involved.

artificial for me i am seriously allergic to real fir trees not just an itch but in a and e christmas eve having treatment ending up with hands bandaged up anyway our tree i think will be too big and it drives me mad as it has coloured branches and they have to be hooked on in certain places. it takes hours and drives me mad id like a slimmer white tree but havent seen one i like

HillyN
I too would love to know of a natural fragrance candle/diffuser that could be put by our artificial tree.

We’ve had both over the years, they all took ages to install and even longer to dismantle. I did love a real tree, we always had two trees in our last home, one of each. Took most of a day to deal with them both. After downsizing we had a re-think and bought a white, twiggy pre-lit one from JL. It takes just a few minutes to put up, I add half a dozen large baubles and job done. It suits our home and looks wonderful in our conservatory with the lights reflecting on the roof and windows. A potted tree with lights has become our external ‘real’ tree.