Real or artificial? 🎄

debs64

Hi all, I have a perfectly good artificial Christmas tree 🎄 that’s done me proud for about 5 years but this year I have a hankering for a real tree. Any idea on the environmental impact? 

I think it’s that pine smell I want and the “genuineness “ if that makes sense? 

I won’t be getting rid of the artificial tree. 

What do others on the forum do? 

Fire

I personally go for green boughs around the mirror, bunches of berries and wreaths.

Dovefromabove

I regard real trees as a crop which is planted, harvested and then another crop is planted. While it’s growing it is absorbing carbon and, provided it’s shredded and composted and not burned when it’s no longer needed, I think that is ‘a good thing’. 

I would not buy a plastic tree because I don’t think we should use plastic if it’s avoidable … but if you have a plastic tree already then re-using it year after year is also ‘a good thing’. The problem will be deciding how to dispose of it when the time comes. 

So my view is, if you want a real tree … go for it, enjoy it … nothing to feel guilty about.  🎄 

pansyface

I inherited my parents’ 3’ tall artificial tree, which they bought in about 1930, along with their hand-blown glass decorations in odd colours like mauve and lime green. It looked wonderfully tatty with its half dozen dark green branches tipped with red sealing wax.

But eventually its skinny little branches dropped off and I bought real trees. They proved to make far too much mess on the carpet and there was always a problem disposing of them afterwards.

We now have our potted lime tree which has fragrant flowers and which produces limes fresh in time for OH’s Christmas G&Ts. 

P.S.

I’ve just found a photo of my parents’ tree and its baubles. It came from Woolies! 😁

Posy

In my area the council provides pick-up points and will take away and compost your old tree if you cannot deal with it yourself. I'm with @Dovefromabove on this one, you can't beat a real tree with plastic.

Nanny Beach

A decent real tree will set you back getting on for £200,we had one for many years, Woolworths £70 this was in the 80s, price still on the box. We have a MTR tall white one,sits on the lounge table. Thinking about a real one,can't decide roots or sawn,any ideas? I see they are in the shops now, obviously I wouldn't bring it in,yet. The drop we solved,saw off the trunk a couple of inches,keep outside in a bucket of water,then it went on a stand with a reservoir to keep it hydrated, hardly any drop. I can't believe some of the folk,we see when walking the dogs,decs up mid November. So,do we buy a tree now,or risk there will be plenty in a couple of weeks?

Busy-Lizzie

That's expensive @Nanny Beach. There are big Nordman trees in a local GC for around £70. Did you mean "real" or should that be plastic?

Nanny Beach

Oh yeah, sorry I did mean Not real,blame the dodgy hands!!

Loxley

pansyface said:

I’ve just found a photo of my parents’ tree and its baubles. It came from Woolies! 😁

I love it! It's similar in a way to the minimalist wire and tinsel tree I've got, in that it doesn't try too hard to be realistic. I love the big lights too!

thevictorian

Real trees are only better for the environment if they are locally grown. It's true that they are a crop tree and often more are planted to replace what were cut but if they have to be shipped a fair distance then their carbon footprint shoots up massively.
I don't know but would guess, cheaper supermarket trees probably have come from afar. 
 

Posy

Happily, our trees are grown about eight miles down the road.