S h ou ld you fake it this Christmas?
Trees tried and tested
Simple to set up but we did get covered in the fake snow taking it out of the box. The branches on the lower half are hinged so they almost sort themselves out, without leaving gaps. Looked snowy and Chrismassy immediately and you could get away without using extra decorations. Verdict: Quality tree with realistic branches.
6ft Silver Tinsel Pre-Lit Pop-Up Tree, £49.99, The Range
Compact and easy to carry – and won’t take up much storage space when packed away. It really was ready to go in a few minutes. It looked pretty, sparkly and contemporary with its pastel pink, gold and green baubles. Ideal for small spaces as it’s very neat and slim.
But we couldn’t get the lights to work, so it meant a trip back to the shop.
Verdict:
Shame about the lights.
6ft Green Baubles & Lights Christmas Tree, £35, Marks & Spencer
We loved the fact you could buy everything as a bundle. A simple slot-together tree, basic but decent quality. The baubles were a mix of poshlooking numbers in green and clear glass, along with glitter finish, shiny and matt ones. Verdict: Good value.
LIDL is branching out this Christmas by offering real trees for £19.99.
But the six-footers still need extras and will only last this year – so can they be trumped by the convenience of a good artificial version?
Our Cash Queens Tricia Phillips and Ruki Sayid rate fakes billed up as pop-up and go… t.phillips@mirror.co.uk
6ft Pre-Lit Easy Assemble Artificial Tree, £56, Homebase
Very tricky to put up – it needed two of us and three attempts to get bits in the right spot. Looked OK at a distance but there were two types of branches in different shades we weren’t keen on close-up. Pre-lit trees are great though.
Verdict: Fairly even and lots of branches so no bare bits.
6ft Mixed Cones and Berries Tree, £50, Wilko
Sturdy and a bit heavy to carry. Simple to put up and the branches are on arms and wires so they fell into place easily. Branches are chunky and substantial and the cones and berries are a nice addition. A few baubles and lights and it looked good. If it had come pre-lit this would have got our top score as it is a good tree. Verdict: Looked posher than the price.
6ft Green Pencil Christmas Tree, £15, Argos
Easy to put together – just three bits and it’s pretty sturdy. But it takes a bit of time and it’s fiddly to pull all the branches into place. Decent tree, good for a small room. It needed lots of baubles and bits to brighten it up. Be wary of using big baubles. Verdict:
Good for small rooms.
George
Home 5ft Pop-Up
Pre-Lit LED Christmas Tree with baubles, £25, Asda
We had this up in less than five minutes. It’s got all the classic and traditional elements of green tree with red and gold baubles, and warm and soft lights. Just a matter of putting the base together, adding a pole and dropping the tree over it, then plugging in. Verdict:
Simple assembly, classic look. And for those who just can’t live without the scent of a real pine, here’s that Lidl tree... just be sure you can dispose of it properly when the festivities are over 5-6ft Non-Drop Nordman Fir Tree, £19.99, Lidl