A potted christmas tree - for life.

I've been a champion of the potted christmas tree for as long as I can remember. My mum always preferred artificially ones when I was growing up, due to the 'needles getting stuck in me slippers!' but as soon as I had my own house, it was real living trees from the get-go. I not only name my trees, they are also addressed as one of the family .... "you alright Maud? not getting too warm in that corner are ya dear?" Yes I know I'm a big softie / crazy person but it makes me happy knowing this little tree is alive and kicking, and it makes me equally sad to see a strong beautiful tree adorned in all it's glory, only to then notice it's a ghost of a tree which has been cut off at the base  ...  and will soon be chucked out with the rest of the rubbish in a matter of weeks.

You could argue these cut-down trees are grown to be cut down - which would be true. But if you buy a potted Christmas tree, it can live in your garden and be brought in year after year. It also means  that our planet has one more tree, whose oxygen we can breathe - because simply put - we need more trees. Staggeringly, of the 6 million trees that get dumped on our streets in the UK every year, only 10% get recycled, the remaining 90% end up in landfill - which I think you'll agree is a sorry waste of life and resources.

Thankfully, it turns out that we as a nation are becoming more 'green' when it comes to our christmas trees. However, some of us might not have the room to keep a 7ft tree in the garden come January, and I'll admit as much as I've tried to nurture my trees once they're in the garden, not all have survived - though it doesn't stop me trying.  We came across a valley of Christmas trees whilst wild camping in Scotland ... if they weren't 100ft high, I might have smuggled one home ;-)

 Hassle-free rent a christmas tree!

If you don't want to buy a big potted tree, the good news is there are now green eco companies popping up who will RENT you a real tree for as little as £19.99 ... they drop it off then pick it up after Christmas, where it goes back into a field with it's buddies to grow big and strong for next year! How lovely is that? You have to be quick as they can sell out quite quickly, but do bear it in mind for next year. If we all did this, millions of trees wouldn't have to be cut down, just so we can 'oooh and ahh' at them for 4 weeks.

Forever green christmas - Essex based.

Lovely branches - Greater London

The Little Tree Company - South Yorkshire

Where to buy potted trees.

So if you haven't bought your tree yet, do think about getting a living potted tree - aside from bringing life into the house, they also bring the scent of christmas with them, and you'll be pleased as punch when you bring it in again the following year. There are plenty of Christmas tree sellers around, just keep your eyes peeled. If you want to buy from a supermarket the following are all selling potted trees. You can pick one up from their stores, but not online. 

Sainsbury - From £10 

Tesco - from £10

Asda - are stocking taller trees from £20

  After all, a tree is for life, not just for Christmas :-)

JM xx