Choose Your Christmas Tree!
What’s best than the smell of a natural Christmas tree? Many consumers would not exchange that feeling for an easier, less constraining decoration.
Natural or Artificial?
French firs plantations are located in the Vosges, Brittany, Morvan or Jura. Natural Christmas trees no longer participate in deforestation as every chopped tree is replaced by another tree after a certain period, to let the ground be fertile again.
The artificial firs are often bought to be more conveniently used. They produce no dust and are supposed to last longer, but did you know that their life expectancy is only 3 years? Depending on their material of production and on their maintenance, those are the most pollutants, from production to destruction.
Which variety to choose?
The most famous is the Epicea, the traditional one, with its nice smell and its fine needles, falling a bit too easily.
The Nordmann, on the other side, is getting more and more popular. Its needles fall less easily but it doesn’t have the Epicea smell. It also lasts longer, up to eight weeks, explaining its higher price.
Some of the others are the Nobilis, with its light tones of blue, and its wooden smell; the dark green Omorika; the limony smell Grandis and the Pungens, with their long and blue toned needles.
Where to buy your tree?
Florists as well as supermarkets, offer a wide range of Christmas trees, starting in December. As we all have experienced it, buying, and most importantly transporting a tree in your car is not that easy. And we all know that our kids always want the bigger ones!
Online trees shops also exist, such as Noel-vert.com or Monsapin.com, offering a wide range of trees, directly delivered to your home. This is such an easy way to enjoy an amazing Christmas tree in your Chalet in the Alps without the inconvenience of its transportation! It will cost around 40 Euros, delivery included, for a Nordmann tree that is 1m30 tall.
How to choose the prettier one and how to take care of it?
If you decide to go to a florist or in a supermarket, choose trees that are not packed in a net. Why? This is because it can hide holes… And it is better to have an idea of its entire aspect. If it has already lost its needles, then this would mean that it is already drying, so don’t buy it! It is also better not to buy a Christmas tree too early.
To take care of it, just consider it like any of your other plants, do not install it too close to the heating system and give water to it regularly.
If you have bought a tree in a pot, immerse the trunk in a bucket of water.
How to deal with it after Christmas?
After Christmas and New Years Evening, your tree might look dry; this is why so many people get rid of them. Some Community Councils organized recycling operations, transforming trees to compost. Also, if you have a fireplace, you can use it to stay warm in your cozy family house.
If you bought a Christmas tree in its pot, you can replant it in your garden; whereas if you opted for an artificial tree, you just have to put it back in its box, and wait for the next year! Now it is only you and the vacuum…