Kitchen Garden Forum

We don't. Can bear the thought of one being chopped down after 7 - 10 years and then left to slowly die over 30 days in an overheated room.
We'll shortly be getting our very bedraggled artificial one out of the loft again. It must be about 20 years old but I like to think it has saved A few trees from a premature death.

As a kid we always had a live one growing in a large pot outdoors which was bought in every Christmas . When it grew too tall and heavy to lug indoors, it was planted outside and we put a few silver babbles on it outdoors at Christmas. . They probably acted as a good bird carer! I,d love to go back to my childhood home and see if it's still there!

We don’t bother with a tree but this year I’ve ordered some outside lights ,this is our granddaughters second year on this planet she is starting to take notice of things around her I don’t want to be the odd one out in our street most houses have lights hanging from the gutters I don’t want her calling me miserable grandad

Yes I have a fresh one every year but I do grow my own.

I honestly cannot remember the last time we had a live tree, but it would definitely have been well over a quarter of a century ago!

We do. But nothing is wasted, what won't shred for composting goes in the stove the following year. Our soil tends towards alkaline, so composted pine needles make a good mulch where the pH would be better a bit lower. In fact I also scrounge other trees from the neigbourhood for this too

There is an eco argument as to which is best, real or artificial. I suspect artificial used for many years wins, because of the plastic mesh the real ones usually get wrapped in.

Same live one got brought in for many years but, last year it put a huge amount of new growth on over the indoor Christmas period, then got some huge frosts when put outside and sadly lost it's life....

Zoos now take Christmas trees for animal food.

Primrose, I'm sorry but I incline to the bah, humbug side.
Part of the reason I don't decorate for Christmas is because I haven't spent Christmas at my own house at all often. Once in the 1990s I entertained; on that occasion the g/f of the time and I picked up a dead branch from Clapham Common, hung it from the ceiling and decorated that. So I have a few baubles and tinsel.

Mine is real every year!

It's the lemon tree that is brought in to overwinter! I have too many inquisitive critters, & the odd vet bill with fake & real trees to risk any more out of hours vet visits. It's not as tall or as pretty, so not as enticing & deffo no baubles or proper lights just in case! I loose the odd lemon but a much more affordable option.

Good idea Westi!

Westi has your tree fallen over it might be with the strong winds

robo Love your sense of humour. Perhaps you have a strong draught coming under the lounge door!

Westi, most of the photos I take always end up sideways too. Never seem to solve the mystery of how to get them upright !
Can any expert explain how we do this? It usually happens with photos taken by phone.

I'm no expert on posting photographs other than using a PC. I use a Windows10 PC and a camera rather than a phone but occasionally photos do get rotated. I find if I look at them through Explorer and correct them there if they are not the right way up they are then correct when I post them.
If you are creating a post and do preview if they come up incorrect can't you delete the added file, rotate it on whatever you are using to post from then save it and add it again?

We don't have real one but i have rescued a few that have been thrown away,with a bit of work they make lovely walking sticks.

Now that is a brilliant idea....

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/dec/16/dreaming-of-a-green-christmas-heres-how-to-make-it-come-true

This extends the debate and shows the enormous waste currently associated with Christmas. When I was young, most wrapping paper in our house was reused. Obviously, as a young grown-up I rebelled a little and used new tissue paper every time (different colour for each person).