It has always had to be a real tree for me. We buy ours (Nordman fir) from a local farm that grows them as a crop and going to get it - and the wreath that the farmer's wife makes - heralds the start of our Christmas. I chop up the branches afterwards and use them as a mulch but the bulk goes in the green bin for recycling. That's a beautiful specimen @Papi Jo!
Real for us. We used to get a 6' one but they're very expensive here so we get a 5' now. This one had been freshly cut when we bought it 2 weeks ago and has been in a bucket of water since.  We brought it in on Sunday (posted thru the window) so the branches could drop into normal position and it smells fab.
Have been distracted by other things so decorating it will start tomorrow.
It will end up being munched for mulch so will have a good end.
I haven’t read the rest of the posts on this, and I’m not trying to tell people what you should do at Christmas, each to their own, this is just my thoughts on it.  I live in an area where the Christmas trees are grown, and it always strikes me as such a dreadful waste of land. I wish our land was in a rewilding project or used to grow food. I know it’s a money making crop for farmers (though it was always polish workers who came over to harvest, though that has probably finished), but they make our countryside ugly, and are pointless and wasteful. Â
I think similarly about the huge pumpkins in M&S before Halloween for ÂŁ1 each!  Massive! Did they go to make soup? I’m sure some did, but my neighbours were just dumped whole outside with their rubbish.  Not even composted. Â
Ooops it’s turned into a rant! I’m sorry, no disrespect to people who buy Xmas trees and pumpkins, but please try not to waste stuff. Â
It's also a vital part of our economy though @a1154, and many of these farms are in areas where nothing else would grow - certainly not viable food crops. It's hard enough for people to make a living in many parts of Scotland My trees are always recycled in the garden.
I wouldn't want a plastic tree, although we did have a trio of little ones when we first moved into this house, but it was a last minute decision [because of our circumstances] and it was too late for a decent real tree. They're in the loft - providing extra insulation Â
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I personally don't really understand the appeal of a real tree. I love trees and it's the cutting down of a beautiful specimen that doesn't do it for me. I completely get they are grown as a crop and are essentially a big cut flower but killing something to hang a few decorations on, doesn't really make Christmas for me. I'm not against anyone that does want a real one though. I do have Christmas trees but they are in pots outside and grown for as long as practical before being planted out in a corner of our allotments. We had brought them in when they were young but they never really liked it tbh, so just have a fake tree, which is a bit naff but isn't that what Christmas is about. Â
As has been said above by @Fairygirl, Xmas trees are a profitable crop for farmers whose land is not suitable for growing edible crops or ornamentals.  Humans have been bringing greenery indoors for centuries as a way of celebrating the winter solstice and the promise of spring. Cut flowers are a staple throughout th eyear for many homes and some gardeners have their own cut flower beds for that purpose.
Xmas trees are just another form of that.
I love the shape, the colour, the smell and the fact that after it's all over it goes back to the land.
Fake trees get need storage for 11 months or more of the year and are plastic, require industrial processes and energy to make them and when they get too tatty they are not biodegradeable. Â
I do like real Christmas trees, but for us it’s not practical. The ceilings are low, the rooms get too warm and space is limited. We have artificial trees, but they come out year on year - I’m not one of those who want to change “the look” every year, so the same trees do us just fine (one in the lounge, one in the hall). We’ll have them for many years to come, I imagine, so I suppose the energy used to make them along with the plastic etc, will have long paid for itself - I won’t be buying any more to add to the landfill problem. Storage isn’t a problem, they go into the garage. However, I do realise the concerns about artificial trees, and I don’t know what the answer is other than no longer produce and sell them, which I don’t see happening any time soon.
That guardian article mentions that fake trees (6.5ft in this case) have a carbon footprint about twice that of a real tree that goes to landfill and ten times one that's burnt. Now one that is mulched and used in the garden will be even less but who keeps a fake tree for only a year, if you use it for over a decade then it has far less impact according to that article.
I don't see why storage really makes a difference unless they are being stored in shops or warehouses. A lot of the things that go on the Christmas tress are also made of plastic, tinsel, baubles and the like, they also need storage, aren't biodegradable and required energy to make them.
We have locally produced trees available around here and growing trees is good but I'm still don't think you can 100% claim they are better as plenty will go straight to the tip after Christmas whereas a new plastic tree might be used for the next 30 plus years.
I'm not against real trees, it's just I don't really like cutting them down for a couple of weeks. I'm also not fussed by a fake tree and only have it up because we already have it and have done for the last 20 plus years and think the best thing to do with plastic is to keep using it until you can't. Â
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That's a beautiful specimen @Papi Jo!
Have been distracted by other things so decorating it will start tomorrow.
It will end up being munched for mulch so will have a good end.
It's hard enough for people to make a living in many parts of ScotlandÂ
My trees are always recycled in the garden.
I wouldn't want a plastic tree, although we did have a trio of little ones when we first moved into this house, but it was a last minute decision [because of our circumstances] and it was too late for a decent real tree. They're in the loft - providing extra insulation Â
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I do have Christmas trees but they are in pots outside and grown for as long as practical before being planted out in a corner of our allotments. We had brought them in when they were young but they never really liked it tbh, so just have a fake tree, which is a bit naff but isn't that what Christmas is about. Â
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/08/are-real-or-fake-christmas-trees-better-for-the-planet#:~:text=A 6.5ft artificial tree,real tree which is burnt.
Xmas trees are just another form of that.
I love the shape, the colour, the smell and the fact that after it's all over it goes back to the land.
Fake trees get need storage for 11 months or more of the year and are plastic, require industrial processes and energy to make them and when they get too tatty they are not biodegradeable. Â
Storage isn’t a problem, they go into the garage.
However, I do realise the concerns about artificial trees, and I don’t know what the answer is other than no longer produce and sell them, which I don’t see happening any time soon.
I don't see why storage really makes a difference unless they are being stored in shops or warehouses. A lot of the things that go on the Christmas tress are also made of plastic, tinsel, baubles and the like, they also need storage, aren't biodegradable and required energy to make them.
We have locally produced trees available around here and growing trees is good but I'm still don't think you can 100% claim they are better as plenty will go straight to the tip after Christmas whereas a new plastic tree might be used for the next 30 plus years.
I'm not against real trees, it's just I don't really like cutting them down for a couple of weeks. I'm also not fussed by a fake tree and only have it up because we already have it and have done for the last 20 plus years and think the best thing to do with plastic is to keep using it until you can't. Â