Real tree or not, does it depend on your childhood?

Always a real one when I was a child but mostly had artificial over the years. I’m not even getting it out of the loft this year.

Always real. I don’t think artificial ones were really a thing when I was young, until about my teens. I think we may have had an artificial one then but the real trees are the ones in my memory.

We’ve been to buy our (real) tree today and I said to Dh that they’re so big now. There was one small one, about four foot tall - that was probably about the size of our childhood trees!

oh for sure for me, real tree, or not tree. This year, we will be on our own. Daughters say I should decorate and do all the Christmas stuff- but I just don't feel like it. Will do a great dinner- but it will aged beef rib, not turkey and our best wine and local champagne.

We have selected the real tree for next time family comes here- and will cut it just a week before, and put real candles on it, of course. Yes, childhood rules, ok.

There weren’t fake trees as far as I know when I was a child (50s) so we had a real one, not very big and it was lit by real burning candles balancing precariously in little clip holders, elf and safety not invented then.
I bought our tree in Woolworths over 40 years ago, it cost 2 weeks wages, but it’s still going strong.
Will get it out of the loft tomorrow for an early start to Christmas.

We always had a real tree but since downsizing and on my own in a small cottage, I’ve invested in a ‘tree with numbers’. I’m preparing myself for brain exercise tomorrow when Ill endeavour to put it together ?

I was raised with real trees but we have a fake one. I prefer real but don't like the weeks of eyes streaming and hayfever. Serious allergies to the trees here so fake it is.

Real Tree for me. My children when they were younger loved picking the tree, and then decorating it.
My son keeps up the tradition with a real tree, and my daughter is going to move so will have a artificial one this year. She said she will get a real one in her new home.

Our tree at home was a very old threadbare thing, less than 3 feet tall I bet. No lights obviously but my mum dressed it up and it always looked lovely. We have almost always had an artificial tree apart from one or two years. We’ve bought a real one this year, I know the needles are a nuisance and all that but I do like the smell and the realness!

Husband had real, I had artificial. They didn't look real in those days ...really thick branches. I prefer real but only had a real one once in our young married days. With both working right up to Christmas Eve and entertaining 15 on Christmas day, we just didn't have the time or money to spend each year on a new tree. These days we have a really good quality artificial one which comes out every year and gives us good vibes as we decorate it and looks good in our chosen spot. Nothing beats the real thing though.

Silverlining you can get fake candle lights now. I bought some last year and they are lovely! These are out of stock but are the same. www.lights4fun.co.uk/products/20-warm-white-led-connectable-christmas-tree-candle-lights

Marmight it’s nice to ‘see’ you! I haven’t noticed you around for a while, although I’ve not been here much myself, either.

We had real when I was wee and for the first few years afterI marriedChanged to a fake one after my friends toddler decided to climb the 7 foot tree and the fox terrier pup copied him.That would have been fine if it was once but the pup climbed it every day ,several times some days and the poor tree had no needles by the end of that week.The new fake tree bought the following week didn't have the same attraction thankfully.Now we have a pencil type tree and its very elegant

I don't think the trees people had as a child influence what they have now all that much, or everyone would have a real one. We always had a real one, because I don't think artificial trees had been invented then. For our first Christmas we had a branch off a (deciduous, therefore leafless) forest tree, painted white and with a few baubles tied tastefully (and cheaply) onto it. We then had real trees for a few years, keeping them upright on their cut trunks with great difficulty, and finally bought the excellent artificial one that has been in use ever since, for forty years at least.

We always had a real tree, when I left school I bought a silver 6 ft Christmas tree as a surprise for my poor mother, she must have been horrified, but she very graciously allowed me to take it with me when I left home!
Artificial for us as DH is very allergic to Christmas trees

We always had a real tree then my parents bought an artificial one when they were older.
We always had a real one until one shed all its needles by Christmas Eve and we had to buy an artificial at the last minute.

This year we may bring in a small real one from the garden (it's in the wrong place).

We always had a real tree when I was growing up and we always have a real tree now.
Interestingly by DSs and DILs have realistic, but artificial ones.
I think they don’t like the needle drop.

I was born before WW11 and I did not know anyone who had a real tree.
We, and all our friends had very small artificial trees which probably stood on a sideboard or a small table.
The bulbs on the tree were large and provided only about 12.
I was brought up in a mining village and we did not have electricity until much later.People would have lit tiny candles but we never did, although we did on the village school tree.
Each class, 4, had their own tree and then a larger one in the space created by folding back the screens between the classrooms.
It was a magical time for us all in the shadow of the war.

When I married it was always a real tree until we got a kitten, that tells it’s own story.

We dug ours out of the garden each year, it seemed to be alright and was quite prickly as I remember. The same old decorations, but looking back they were lovely, the glass baubles with indented flower patterns. Candles were lit which were clamped at the ends of the branches and a fairy was always perched on the top.
Tinsel was a bit moth-eaten but I do remember loads of little icicles and there'd always be one left on the tree when it was replanted.

I’m a child of the sixties, and we had a real tree, but my Nanna had that most stylish accessory of the time , a silver tinsel tree - we were so jealous, but my parents never relented and let us have one.

Always a real one that went up on christmas eve and came down on the 6th jan, they were the 12 days of christmas!...... No time for the tree to dry out and make a mess!
Now with artificial trees and all the shops it lasts for many weeks!

Interesting reading, thank you, thinking about my family tree, I just remembered the fun throwing lametta on it, not sure if you can still get it, will have a look.

Jaxjacky I was trying to remember that stuff as we had some too. Also brother and I got the job of throwing cotton wool over the tree. I hated the feel of the damn stuff as we tore it off a roll. ( nails on a blackboard effect )

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Grandparents had real trees, my parents had really naff fake trees.

I have always had a main real tree in sitting room along with mini potted trees around the house. In the dining room my indulgent tree is an artificial 3 foot tree decorated with my collection of Swarovski snowflakes.

biba70

"Real candles on it, of course" ??

And how long do they stay alight for, exactly? A few minutes, just long enough to get the photos, or until the little birthday cake candles have melted down in the clip on holders?

Surely you can't have full size taper candles dotted throughout your Nordman fir (or whatever variety you have) left unattended whilst you roast your aged rib?

My sister has baubles on her tree that she puts tea light candles in, they look fabulous