Families often start the festive celebrations by heading out together to choose a tree from their local Christmas Tree Farm but 2020 will be different.
Current lockdown restrictions in England mean that Christmas tree farms are required by law to close until 3rd December, which is a bit of a blow, especially as our local supermarket is (legally) selling Christmas trees next to the fish counter. Crazy isn’t it? The good news is that we can offer a Click-and-Collect service, which allows our customers to pre-order a tree and select one from the display when they arrive to collect it.
(Update 21 Nov) I’m delighted to say that we are now allowed to open for the sale of Christmas trees and would like to thank our local councillor for his work helping to get the rules changed .
If you’re Clicking-and-Collecting or planning to visit a Christmas Tree Farm, here are some tips from Slamseys for How to Choose the Perfect Christmas Tree in 2020.
The best time to buy a real Christmas tree
Christmas celebrations seem to get earlier every year and this year some British Christmas tree sellers have reported record sales for the beginning of November. It’s been such a dismal year that people have already started to put up their decorations but trees are living things and it’s a bit much to expect them to sit in a hot house for six weeks and still look wonderful for Christmas week.
Most Christmas Tree sellers open for the last weekend of November but many growers like us continue to cut trees throughout December so unless you always put up your tree on the first Sunday of Advent (29th November), wait until December to buy your tree.
Slamseys Christmas Tree Barn will open on Friday 27th November.
Measure up before you buy
Measure the height of the room where your tree will stand rather than taking a wild guess and then cutting off the top half. Add on an allowance for your tree topper and your tree stand. At Slamseys, the trees are displayed in clearly marked height ranges, which makes it easy to choose the right height tree.
Shop a different way
In a normal year, the start of the Christmas season for many families is the day they put on their Christmas hats or antlers and spend ages with grandparents, aunts and uncles choosing the perfect tree. Maybe this year you could elect one person to collect the Christmas tree and celebrate the start of the season when the Christmas tree is brought home. Switch on the Christmas music, heat the mince pies and pour a celebratory drink as the tree is carried through the door. Or buy the tree while the children are at school and let them discover it when they get home and carry it in to decorate.
This year, it’s essential to check how you can buy your Christmas tree as many Christmas tree sellers are not allowed to open in the normal way under current Covid regulations. You might be able to use a Click-and-Collect Service or you might need to wait until after 3rd December to visit in the normal way.
The Christmas Tree Farm you visit might look different this year. At Slamseys, we’ve changed the layout of the barn for improved social distancing and have a new display system that makes it easy to choose a tree without removing it from the rack. We’re limiting the number of people in the barn and may ask our customers to queue outside if they come at the busy weekend times. But you can still choose from hundreds of premium Christmas trees.
You can find a list of British growers and sellers at British Christmas Tree Growers Association
Which is the best type of Christmas tree? Nordman Fir or Norway Spruce?
Our customers’ favourite tree is the Nordman Fir with its dark green, glossy foliage and good needle retention. The soft needles make it an ideal Christmas tree in homes with young children or pets and there won’t be too many needles to sweep up if you keep the tree cool and watered.
The Norway Spruce is the traditional Christmas tree with a wonderful smell and shape though the needles are prone to fall off at the merest knock if you stuff a Norway Spruce tree in a hot room for weeks and don’t water it. Norway Spruce are lovely trees if you take them inside for only a couple of weeks or want a fabulous tree to display outside.
How to choose the best tree for you
Are you looking for a pot grown tree or cut tree?
A tree planted as a seedling and grown in the pot (as opposed to one dug out of the ground and put into a pot) can be planted out in the garden after Christmas if it’s only taken inside for a week (or two at most) and kept cool. Pot grown trees are usually sold at no than about 140 cms high, so aren’t suitable if you’re looking for a large tree. If you plan to grow your tree on, remember that they grow to over 5 metres.
You should be able to buy a cut tree in any size from about 90 centimetres to over 3 metres high and they’ll cost you less than a pot grown tree of a comparable size.
A good Christmas tree seller will offer Nordman Firs and Norway Spruce in a range of heights and shapes, so go to the section that has trees in the height you’re looking for and find a tree that you like (or just grab the first one because by the time you’ve decorated it, you probably won’t notice the shape). Some people like dense trees while others like well spaced branches so there’s room for baubles to dangle.
Ask your seller to give the tree a shake before they wrap it in netting. If heaps of needles fall to the floor, reject it and choose another.
Taking the Christmas tree home
Before you set off to collect your Christmas tree, clear a space in the car for it and protect your car upholstery with an old sheet or blanket. You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t know how to put down the seats in their car or try to cram a tree into a car already loaded with shopping or dogs or children. Or sometimes all three. Be prepared!
Keep your Christmas tree looking good
At home, saw a slice from the bottom of the trunk so that the tree can take up water (like cut flowers), remove the netting (some needles will fall off as they get caught in the netting) and stand the tree outside in a bucket of water for a few hours.
When you take your tree inside, put it in an appropriately sized stand. You can try wedging it in a bucket, but a well-designed stand makes the process much easier. Don’t try to cram the tree into a stand that’s too small as cutting off great chunks of the trunk restricts water uptake and the tree may topple over if it’s in a stand designed for a smaller tree. Your stand should be marked with a safe height guide. Protect the floor from water spills with a large tray or waterproof mat.
Make sure your tree is standing straight and firmly secured in the stand. Trim any straggly branches and if your tree sticks out too far into the room, cut back the branches at the rear; nobody will notice unless you turn the tree around. Fill the stand with water and top it up regularly so that your tree doesn’t dry out.
And finally …
Drape the lights, hang the baubles and balance a star (or angel or fairy or whatever takes your fancy) on the top of the tree. Stand back and admire. What a beautiful tree.
Don’t forget to recycle your tree at the end of Christmas. Your local council may have a recycling service or there may be a local charity who raise funds by collecting trees and recycling them.
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Buy your Christmas tree from Slamseys
Recycle your tree and raise funds for Farleigh Hospice