I always used to have a real tree. I love the whole traditional thing, and decorating the tree was an event in itself. Then I started going on holiday at Christmas, abroad if possible, so no tree at all or tinsel on the palm tree 
We have artificial, it seems the safer option for the pets.
Like @PhotoFairytales, I donāt like to have the same colour scheme 2 years in a row. Weāve got bags of decorations sorted by colour so I can easily pick and choose. I think my favourite was a rainbow gradient a few years agoā¦ but I havenāt decided what this yearās will be yet. I donāt like tinsel on the tree either, but donāt mind it in other places.
When it goes up could be any time in December, itās been as early as the 1st and as late as the 23rdā¦ just depends when we get time to clear out the hallway to make room for it (it also has to stay up until after the 7th in this house).
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Ooh Kim, you sound a lot more organised than me - I think I may take a leaf out of your book and try to pack mine away organised by colour this January!!
Rainbow gradient trees are supposed to be ātheā look this year - youāre obviously way ahead when it comes to trendsetting!!
And yes, definitely has to stay up until 12th night - I just donāt get those people that take it all down on January 1stā¦ although it does always make your room feel bigger when you put it all away 
I wasnāt until a few years ago, but I got fed up of searching through all the bags trying to make sure Iād got all the reds (or whatever colour). Itās certainly made the decorating a little quicker, and itās easier to see if we need to buy more of any.
7th is after the 12th night (I think thatās the 5th or 6th), but Iāve got Ukrainian heritage and they donāt have Christmas until 7th January. I donāt really do anything else to celebrate it, but it seems wrong to take the tree down before 2nd Christmas 
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We have two real looking artificial trees, one in the kitchen and one in the conservatory. Although I love real trees, we use to end up with a bare tree, once the needles had fallen. The main tree has baubles that weāve collected over the years that have lots of memories and we add more each year and Iām very excited that this year we have some lovely crochet mistletoe to put around it made by the lovely @Justtosay.
The tree in the kitchen will be decorated in pastels by my two grown-up kids this year and Iāve promised not to change it when theyāre not around. 
We wonāt be putting our trees up until 15th December.
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We have a white artificial tree. Weāve changed from real tree a few years ago and never looked back. We tried the tree in a pot version as well at some point, but we only used it 2 years and then it started to dry out. My husband took it in the nearby forest and re-planted itā¦
Our decorations are red baubles, golden stars from @DandelionsGallery and wood hanging decorations, mainly woodland animals (hedgehogs, rabbit, deer, owl, etc). No tinsels here either.
I will put it up next weekend 
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We have an artificial tree but I always want to get a real one. The smell is unreal. I do worry about the needles dropping though and my 2.5 year old is a real tearaway. Last year we didnāt put our tree up for fear of him knocking it down. So I wonder if we have to go artificial again this year as a trial with him.
My living room is golds, creams and bronze so I bought matching in the sales last year with lots of pine cones. I havenāt seen it up yet but Iām excited. We have a star for the top but an old angel my brother made when he was in junior school always sits amongst the branches.
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I love real trees, but we have an artificial one thatās possibly as old as I am. The decorations are museum pieces as well. There are so many pressures on the purse strings at Christmas, replacing the tree is always considered a low priority.
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Aww it was a pleasure to make it for you Tina - especially as I did it in Italian sunshine!
When I was young we always had just a small tinsel tree decorated with decorations that used to belong to my Dadās mother. We were devastated when my parents decided to buy a real tree instead one year!
Iām excited now though as weāre clearing my Dadās house and Iām due to inherit the small tinsel tree as well as the 1940ās fairy that always used to sit on top. It will be such a blast from the past and is guaranteed to make me cry!
Love the thought of you having to promise not to change the tree decorations round Tina - I think weāve all been there!
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Oh wow! Thatās lovely Sue!
thank-you
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I have a black and silver artificial treeā¦had it for years nowā¦we decorate it with silver ornaments and it looks lovelyā¦one of my neighbours had a tree (until he died a couple of years ago) and he bought it in Woolworth in 1956ā¦complete with fairy lights which still workedā¦
I am all in favour of artificial trees and no mess to clear up when you put the decorations away.
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My mum and dad had some gorgeous Father Christmas tree lights from the 60ās - I was so upset when I found out theyād thrown them out last year when they moved house! Probably worth a fortune, but more importantly they went on the tree every year and it feels like it was part of my childhood. Odd how Christmas has the knack of taking you right back to being a child again! To them they were just āoldā but to me it was all nostalgia and memories!
We never used to have stockings for Father Christmas - we used to have pillowcasesā¦ whacking great pillowcases poor Santa had to fill!! 
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Me and my brother had pillowcases as well Sarah, Mum must have embroidered them with our names on them and then one year I caught her carefully undoing the stitches so they could be used again as pillowcases.
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Iād love to see the 1940ās fairy Christine, how lovely.
I will send a pic when she comes to live here Tina! x
For those who are worried about needles dropping and itās the only reason you donāt get a real tree, there are two that I know donāt drop, or only drop a tiny bit. Iām not sure if theyāre available everywhere though but weāve no problem getting them here in my part of Scotland. Nordic/Nordmann Firs donāt drop, neither do Scots Pine. Weāve always gone for a scots pine as theyāre grown a few miles away.
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I have a real tree, because I just love it. Throughout my childhood we had a a very bad artificial tree. I also have decorated tree branches.
Colour scheme of red and gold and lots of my own handmade felt decorations and a few special handmade glass decorations.
Lots of lights no tinsel.
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