Christmas Trees

...everywhere to get down their Christmas Tree Decorations or The Christmas Tree itself.

Husband normally comes down itching like mad as all the fibre stuff in the loft is now stuck to him and he ends up in the bath.

Never mind at least I have got my stuff all ready and waiting to decorate my beloved Christmas Trees.

You can never beat the fresh smell of a Christmas Tree in your home and some people still ...
...on how to decorate your Christmas Tree. I really hope you enjoy this as I have been researching a lot on this over the last couple of days and was going to be my 100th op but i had not gathered all my facts that I needed.

Artificial or Real or Potted?
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As a child we would always have a real Christmas Tree in the house and we would go down to a forest in Harrogate and make friends with ... more

Well it that time of year when millions of families are sending their partner up into the dark recesses of lofts everywhere to get down their Christmas Tree Decorations or The Christmas Tree itself.

Husband normally comes down itching like mad as all the fibre stuff in the loft is now stuck to him and he ends up in the bath.

Never mind at least I have got my stuff all ready and waiting to decorate my beloved Christmas Trees.

You can never beat the fresh smell of a Christmas Tree in your home and some people still like a real one or a potted one and some prefer artificial ones, so in this opinion I am going to give you lots of Options and tips on how to decorate your Christmas Tree. I really hope you enjoy this as I have been researching a lot on this over the last couple of days and was going to be my 100th op but i had not gathered all my facts that I needed.

Artificial or Real or Potted?
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As a child we would always have a real Christmas Tree in the house and we would go down to a forest in Harrogate and make friends with a tree and then have it cut and strung up and then taken back in the car and the bucket would come out and we would spend ages decorating. The room was filled with gorgeous pine smells all the time it was up and needless to say the carpet bore needles from years gone past.

Now as I have grown older things have changed, I have so many pets that go near the tree that they would get needles in their paws so have opted for an artificial Tree. Here going through this opinion, I will take you through some types of Christmas Trees, Where you can buy them and other tips.

In 1841 the first British Christmas Tree entered the Windsor Castle home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It was decorated in all its finery and soon caught on, now 99% of the population will have some sort of Christmas Tree whether it be a big one or a small one.

Artificial Trees
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You can buy these at most stores like Woolworths, BandQ, DIY shops and Wilkinsons and supermarkets.

Artificial Trees have come a long way since the 1970s when they first came out. My motherinlaw has just thrown her old one out thank god. Its branches were thin and made of tinsel. Ok she had grown very fond of it as it had served the family well but now is the time to pop up into the 21st century.

Most trees now come in 3ft-7ft sizes in average and can come like the real Christmas Trees in different types. You can buy a Norway Spruce or a Scottish Pine or a Grand Fir. These are all based on the real types and are very good looking. The only thing they lack is the beautiful aroma that real Trees have and no matter what you do or what Christmas Sprays you use, you will never get that smell, just as you past by that says this is a Christmas Tree.

If you are not a traditionalist and do not want a green Christmas Tree, you can buy them in White, Silver, Blue and many other colours that you want. Also these days, you can buy trees that are dressed, dressed have they got clothes on?, no what this means is that the Christmas Tree is complete with decorations in the box for you to put onto the tree.

You can buy really small Christmas trees that are just made out of twigs or some large ones are made out of wire. These are very contemporary and whilst they look nice, I have to say they do not look very Christmassy.

Most Artificial Christmas Trees come complete with their own stands and are easy to assemble. I have two 6ft trees and one is in three parts and the other is a bit more difficult and is in 6 part. They are both different types of trees, one is a Norway Spruce and the other is a Scottish Pine.
Both are decorated trees and I love the decorations with them.

You can buy fibre optic Christmas Trees which have lights on them changing colours and they are battery operated. I have seen small ceramic Christmas Trees that play music and again have lights on them.

How Much Do I pay for them?
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Well this is really up to you, I have seen basic 3ft Christmas Trees from £4 approximately in Woolworths. They have no decorations but are complete with stand.

My first Christmas Tree, I bought from Woolworths and to this day this is the best Christmas Tree I have ever had. It is based on the traditional Norway Spruce and is very realistic. It came complete with all the decorations. This was £40 odd pounds a few years ago and I bought this either at the last minute or just after Christmas and put it away for the following year.

The following year I was really shocked at the quality, I had been expecting inferior decorations for that price but no. They were out of this world. It has lovely large cream and beige bows that I have never seen on a tree before and also beautiful baubles, plastic and a paper effect ones and all sorts, complete with lights. I like my Christmas Trees to be colour co ordinated but if I had children it would be a mass of colours and all the paper made things that the children would have made over the years. The branches in this one are full and there are so many decorations that there is hardly a branch left bare. There is also a book with this tree that shows you how to dress your tree and has some helpful tips. This would have been handy but I only found it once I had decorated the tree. Everyone comments on this tree and this is my favourite.

My other Tree I bought this year and is a fir type tree and it does not seem as full. I bought this for £50 from my Littlewoods Catalogue and even though it is a decorated tree and comes in 3 pieces, I am not happy. The Tree looks bare and there are large gaps between the branches and it does not give you the full look. This is currently in my window but next week when I am up in the loft searching for my other decorations, it will be replaced by my other tree and decorations.

Potted Real Trees
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Ok, so you are adamant you want a real Christmas Tree but you want a potted one that will survive. Places like Asda and BandQ do these and they are normally around the 4-6ft mark and cost up to £15. The ones in Asda come in a red bucket and are in a plastic carry holder bag so that you do not prick yourself. They also come in soiled buckets so you can cut the plastic and let the tree breathe. There is also an instruction booklet with these and you must follow the instructions very carefully. Some of the trees are sprayed so that the needles last. You only get the common Christmas Tree type as their are no variations on this and stores only carry a few of these so be quick and get yours.

BandQ sell these as well and their potted ones are in a net. Some years they let you see the tree and then net them for you. The advantage of this is you can see the Christmas Tree in its full glory and not all squashed up only to get home and find it is not the one you wanted. Again these are bucketed and soiled so they are ready to take home and stand. Follow the instruction cards as to the welfare of the tree.

Right so this is the potted section and after Christmas you can get out in the garden and plant them. I have bought many Christmas Trees like this over the years and it makes me feel better that they are living and will go in my garden afterwards. However they have never survived. So in buying a potted one which made me feel better than just having a chopped tree, it had the same effect in the end, they both died. You have got to think is it me or my soil, what have I done wrong, but in reality, you know it is rooted but you do not know the process in which it was dug up and could have been dying from the day it was dug up.

Make sure you read the instructions leaflet and water and be very careful if you have electrical lights on your tree when you are doing this.

Cut Christmas Trees
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Ok, so you want a real one and not a bucketed one, you want a large one and you want to pick it yourself and put it up.

There are a lot of Christmas Trees like the Norwegian Spruce, Scottish Pine which are the more traditional ones that us British like. Again most garden centres stock these well in advance of Christmas and most of them are now sprayed to stop needle fall, but lets be honest, you cannot stop nature. You can prolong it but in the end if you have the wrong type of tree then it will fall no matter even if you set it in super glue.

First of all the range is very big in this section and I would say that prices start at around £10 up wards depending on the size of the tree that you want.

Most Centres offer you a netting and spray service. This makes it a lot easier for you to get the products home.

When you get these home you have to find a bucket and some stones and mud. First of all put the stones in the bottom of your bucket and then fill half with mud and then get your tree and put it in the middle of the bucket and fill the rest with stones and mud to secure it. Sounds easy doesn't it, it isn't and many times when I was a child the tree lent to one side. Water regular and this tree should last.

Christmas Tree Farms
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There are also places where you can go to forests or farms and pick your own tree and this is quite good fun and you can see what your tree will look like and you will see a price difference as these are a lot cheaper. It is nice to go to one of these and it really gets you into the Christmas spirit.

What Type of Tree?
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There hundreds of Christmas Trees you can pick from, but here I will tell you about two.

The Scotch Pine is a thick Christmas Tree and is very hard wearing and will take heavy ornaments. It has excellent hard wearing needles so you should not be picking them up in November next year.

Norway Spruce is the typical Christmas Tree and has very fine needles and will hold only light weight ornaments, so do not go buying heavy pottery ornaments as they will break their many branches. Again choose a tree that is full and it will serve you family well. This is the one that we all dread with needle fall.

How Can I stop needle fall?
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You can buy special sprays for around £5 that will help it, however a lot of trees are either sprayed in advance or centres will offer you this for a fee, or if you are working to a budget a quick spray of hair spray also does the trick.

Can I buy stands for a new chopped Tree?
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Yes you can at most places where you buy your tree, you can buy different stands for both artificial and real Christmas Trees but these can be pricey. You can also buy Christmas Tree Skirts for the buckets to be hidden, this is useful if you have a real tree and if you use them right, the needles will only fall onto the main part of the skirt.

Decorating your Tree Tips
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First of all get your partner to untangle all the lights, this is my husbands job and he moans every year, but I think their is a Christmas Tree Light Fairy who goes around the world lofts mixing the lights up deliberately.

Put the lights on first and that is the worst job done. Next if your like me and have bows, I like mine all symmetrical and put these on next and then I know what sections I have left to fill.

Heavy baubles should always go on bottom of the tree as this is where the branches are at the strongest. This year I have a problem as for some reason my dog Lottie takes one off for me and brings it to me when I come home from work. She has never done this before but make sure your pets do not eat them. We caught her doing this as well.

As you go up you tree make the baubles smaller that way your tree retains the shape of the Triangular motion. Last of all I put on the tinsel, as this is an item that I consider, is the icing on the cake.

Make sure if you have children, all you baubles are plastic near where they can get hold of them.

Make sure they are fire proof baubles.

If you use lights, turn them off at night and when you go out.

Candles look nice on Christmas Trees, like they did in Victorian days but they can also be forgotten about and burn your house down.

If you have more than one set of lights in your house, do not overload your power point. As this can cause fires.

Make sure your fire alarms are activated and working around this time £5 could save your Childrens lives! They are worth a lot more than this.

Right I think this is it really, running out of puff now.

Most of all, I wish you and all your family a lovely and a very MERRY HAPPY CHRISTMAS, OH AND YOUR TREE XX

KAREN XX 

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