5. FINALLY, I’VE TURNED XMAS ON ITS HEAD!

THE top still looks exposed, so I throw on lots of lametta — strands of silver and gold tinsel which create a waterfall effect. My grandparents loved this, although I thought it a bit naff. In fact — surprise! — it works well and I use a whopping 40 packets (£1 a pack from department stores). The whole thing has taken around two hours, which is about four times as long as usual. I am exhausted. I’d have thought needle drop would be worse as the wider base can’t ‘catch’ them, but Rachel says that’s not the case. ‘Non-drop trees are really fantastic these days,’ she explains. ‘Nordmann firs, for example, don’t shed foliage because of the way the needle is fixed to the branch. ‘You could hydrate a freshly-cut tree for a few days, then hang it and be reasonably confident.’ All in all, I’m thrilled with the result and I think upending could catch on.