10 Top Tips for Picking your Family’s Real Christmas Tree
Heading out to the muddy fields in early December to pick your own Real Christmas Tree can be a Fab Family Tradition and one the kids will love. To help you on your adventure we have put together a Handy Guide to Picking your Family’s Real Christmas Tree
There are many different types of Real Christmas Tree that you can select from, but we always like to pick a fresh, sustainable and local Welsh grown tree or our home.
Prices are dependant on the size you pick as well as the type of tree you pick so you can usually expect to pay anything between £15 and £90. The potted options tend to be a bit cheaper.
Looking for something specific to dress with your decorations here are some of the more common types you can pick locally
Most Common Real Christmas Trees
The Nordmann Fir
This is one of the most popular trees. It has soft, dark green foliage and is fab for needle retention indoors and a has a lovely pine fragrance.
The Fraser Fir
This is a slimmer tree with pyramid shape and dark blue green coloured needles. It has dense foliage and a lovely citrus scent to it. The banches turn up slightly and are strong making this a perfect choice for families with limited space.
The Norway Spruce
This tree has a classic pyramid shape, with dark green foliage that branches typically hanging downwards. These have a proper rich festive scent and really does delivers that classic Christmas tree look. However you might want to hang off to buy this one closer to Christmas Day as it can be guilty of losing its needles faster than other types of trees.
The Noble Fir
Blue-green coloured needles, but the underside can look silver, it has great needle retention and strong open branches, so it’s perfect for hanging larger heavier decorations, but the needles tend to twist upward so might not be the look you are going for.
The Blue Spruce
With attractive blue foliage and a fresh, festive scent, it’s a common pot-grown tree.
The Korean Fir
The most striking feature of this tree is its smell, it will really fill your home a Christmas perfume. The needles are green grey coloured and the branches twirl around the central stem and hold cute cones around 5cm long.
If you have never had a Real Christmas Tree for your family before, you may fear it can be hard to pick the right tree and feel daunted to take on its upkeep, but is all quite simple really and to help we have put together our
10 Top Tips for Picking your Family’s Real Christmas Tree
Measure your room
First thing first, know what you’re going to buy. Measure the height of your room before you buy, and don’t forget to allow for the height of your stand. Also consider the width of your space too.
Measure your tree
When the trees have labels or your told all in that field are so many feet high – Double check for yourself as that’s only a guide. Measure the exact tree you fancy yourself to see its exact height and width before you buy.
Look for a shiny coat
Your tree should be a healthy, glossy green and fresh to make sure it will see it through to after Christmas. If buying a pre-cut tree with pale and tired needles means, it’s already on its way out
The Needle Check
If buying a pre-cut tree run your fingers along the needles. Make sure they don’t all fall off immediately. Then gently tap it on the floor as a second test to see if loads of needles fall off. If loads fall off don’t bother with that one pick another.
Choose Sustainable
Locally Welsh grown trees are always going to be fresher, with a lower carbon footprint and many local farms plant new seedlings for every tree we cut. You should be looking for at least a British-grown tree as its carbon footprint will be substantially less than one that has been transported from mainland Europe.
No Need to Wait to Buy
There’s no benefit to waiting into mid-December to buy your tree if your buying pre-cut, because all the trees get cut at the same time, usually in early-November before being distribution and then drip-fed over the following weeks to the sales location. So actually, it’s better to get there early and start caring for it and feeding your tree, rather than letting it sit on a pile with all the others, gasping for the water it needs to stay healthy.
Don’t forget the Tree Stand
A good tree stand is essential for keeping yours upright and safe. Most make watering easier too, which helps keep your tree looking fresher for longer.
Let your Tree Adjust to its New Home
If you have cut your tree fresh then its best to leave it rest outside for 24hours before bringing it inside to decorate, this is so not to shock its needles by bringing it indoors to the heat too quickly after cutting it down.
Let your Tree Relax
Once you do bring your tree indoors let it stand in a bucket of water until you’re ready to decorate. Removing the netting and allows the branches to relax into their natural position for a bit before layering with your lights, tinsel and baubles.
Keep it hydrated
To keep your tree looking fresh, fill the stand with water. A 6ft tree will drink half a pint of water every day!
Where to Pick your Own Real Christmas Tree in West Wales
Looking to take the kids to pick your Own Real Christmas Tree then check out our Handy List of Where to Pick your Own Real Christmas Tree in West Wales
