Can’t Decide on a Real or Artificial Christmas Tree? Let Us Help

It’s a topic for families across Britain during the festive season; do we get a real tree or stick to artificial? It’s certainly a debatable topic with most still seeking an artificial tree. However, interest in real Christmas trees has grown in recent years, due to the environmental impact and just sheer magic a real Christmas Tree can bring to the household. While artificial trees are low maintenance and will last, they don’t have the same joy a real Christmas tree can bring among the many other benefits they offer. Here, we present the benefits of a real Christmas tree including those for you, the home, and the environment too. Let’s begin.

Christmas has a plethora of scents associated with it, but the smell of fresh pine needles and the natural woody scent from a real Christmas tree might just be one of the best benefits.

The actual sight of a real Christmas tree, decorated, filling the room, with its lush, vibrant needles, is just gorgeous. Often, the fullness a real tree provides beats anything artificial, hands down. It also presents a lovely focal point for any visitors.

Nothing can beat the excitement and journey to the garden centre to choose your own perfect Christmas tree as a family. Then there’s the journey home, the preparation, the placement and decoration, something the whole household can take part in and enjoy. It’s a fantastic way to make lasting memories to cherish. Make it a tradition and pass it on to your kids.

Most real Christmas trees are locally sourced. To reach a good height of around 6ft, Christmas trees take about 10 – 12 years to reach this height. During all that time they are providing a habitat for wildlife and offsetting carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally, due to their hardy nature, most Christmas trees are grown on soils that can’t support anything else. The Carbon Trust says a two-metre artificial tree has a carbon footprint of around 40kg, more than ten times that of a real tree that’s burned after Christmas. In other words, you’d need to re-use an artificial tree 10 times to negate its carbon footprint.

Real Christmas trees, being organic, are biodegradable, which means they can be repurposed or recycled. For instance, when the tree dies, it can be propped up somewhere with food tied to it as a little habitat for birds and other wildlife through winter. Additionally, you can chop it up and leave it somewhere to eventually turn into compost, which you can then reuse in the garden. Some local authorities offer a collection and chipping services, which you can then use as a mulch. 

One thing to mention though about real trees is that if they are left to sit somewhere it will have a greater impact to the environment. This is due to the decomposition process and releasing methane over time. To get around this, it’s better to chop the tree up and use it for wood chip.

Many studies have shown that having plants and flowers in the home have beneficial effects on people. Some of the benefits include reduced stress, higher wellbeing and satisfaction, productivity, and creativity. Humans generally enjoy a natural environment compared to an unnatural one as well as the notion that something alive is indoors to be cared for and nurtured.

Most real Christmas sold in the UK are UK-grown. So, when you buy a real Christmas tree from a garden centre or nursery, you’re probably supporting a UK based grower. Most of our real Christmas trees come from the North of Scotland.

There’s something special about having a live tree in your home, when families are spending lots of time together and are looking for ways to enjoy that time together. But there are many benefits to choosing real Christmas trees over artificial than just what you can experience in your home.