To fake tree, or not to fake tree, that is the Christmas question

It appears that the Christmas ritual of choosing a tree, wrestling it into the car, dragging it through the house, giving it pride of place in the living room, breathing in the pine scent and vacuuming up the needles afterwards is becoming a thing of the past. We’re now more likely to bring a plastic tree down from the loft and take it out of the box.

Our survey has shown that the most popular type of artificial Christmas tree by far is one that looks real. It’s a trend that has been confirmed by two Which?-recommended garden centres: Aylett Nurseries in St Albans and Coolings in Kent both say that, while sales of real trees remain healthy, sales of realistic artificial trees have increased.

Even better than the real thing?

Fake trees have come a long way since the bright green PVC atrocities of yesteryear. Nowadays they are modelled on real trees and have ‘real’ tree names such as ‘English Pine’. They have polyethylene tips, and the best (which can cost several hundred pounds) look pretty real. They create no needle mess, come in different shapes and sizes and have adjustable branches. Some even come with fairy lights already attached.

Not that any of this is convincing me. My parents ‘went fake’ a few years ago and I now have a brief sulk when I go home every Christmas. There’s no pine smell for starters, and the whole thing just looks too perfect. For years we had a real tree, so what’s changed?

Costly Christmas trees

Mum says a combination of factors led her and Dad to get a fake tree. Dad got fed up of digging up soil to put the tree in, and latterly of filling a Christmas tree stand and topping it up with water. Fallen needles were a bit of an issue, and real trees were too wide for the corner of the room where it usually goes. Mum also thinks real trees have got more expensive and she can’t justify paying £33 (the average spend according to our survey) for something that only lasts a couple of weeks.

I think mum and I will have to differ on this one. I can’t abide fake plants of any kind – fake box balls, fake turf or fake Christmas trees. They give absolutely nothing back in terms of oxygen or wildlife habitats. They’re becoming more and more common, and they make my heart sink. It’s like we’re turning our backs on nature – something that most of us get precious little of already.

A real Christmas tree, on the other hand, is usually grown as a sustainable crop, contributes to the local economy and provides a habitat for wildlife while it grows. And according to the National Trust, just five minutes gazing at a tree can reduce stress levels. If that isn’t a recipe for a happy Christmas, I don’t know what is.

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