Best artificial Christmas trees for 2020: our favourite fake trees on the market

Artificial Christmas trees used to be derided as slightly grinch-y. But now, with the quality and realism of fake trees growing in leaps in bounds - not to mention a natural frustration with real trees' propensity to drop needles through the house (we have hoovered up pine needles in October the year after; no exaggeration), the popularity of an artificial Christmas tree has sky-rocketed

They'll also last for years. A real Christmas tree can often come at a whopping price and last only three weeks, before having to be sadly discarded at a Christmas tree grave (all those orange, bare branches - so pitiful to see) while a fake one can be stored in the attic or cupboard for years of celebratory good times.

You won't get a pine-fresh smell, true, but speaking as one for whom pine needles cause an instantaneous rash on contact and a horrible bout of hayfever sneezing, that's a concession many will be willing to make.

Bare or decorated?

Consider what kind of effort you want to put in once you have the tree home. Fake Christmas trees come bare, pre-lit, covered in 'snow', or fully decorated.

Our advice: make sure the branches are 'hinged' rather than hooked - this means they're permanently attached and you don't have to fasten them to the tree individually (a time-consuming and slightly joyless task). Mind you, if storage space is an issue, hooked is your best bet.

Price

Price wise, be advised that as with many things - the more you spend, the better the tree is likely to look. There will be more 'tips' (i.e. needles) that make for that verdant, bushy look. You can spend as little as £7, while the deluxe versions head towards £10,000.

We can't advocate for that kind of spending, but if you have the wherewithal, buy 'PE' tips, rather than 'PVE', as they're moulded to replicate the look of real needles. These may be advertised as 'true needles,' or having a 'real feel.'

Size

Fake trees vary in size, as do the real ones. You can chose from a 1 footer, all the way up to a 12 foot beauty. The most commonly purchased is a 7 footer, which looks resplendent in most living rooms - i.e. big enough to fill the room without dominating. However, if you have small children, consider the 4 foot option: it will be much easier, and more fun, for wee ones to decorate.

Anything around the 7 feet mark will require a stand to keep if upright.

Here are our favourite artificial Christmas trees on the market.

Pre-Lit Grand Spruce Christmas Tree - 9ft, £595

That is quite a price tag, yes, but the White Company artificial Christmas trees are our favourite on the market, and, lamentably, the more affordable 6ft version is already sold out. Nevertheless, we love this one - rich, realistically green, and a feathery look to the fir. It spreads and sits beautifully, and looks resolutely like the real thing. An investment piece. Buy now

Wayfair Pine Artificial Christmas Tree with Stand - 7ft, £79.99

Altogether more affordable for most, this Wayfair option presents a great, mid-range choice. Unadorned, the emerald green is realistic (you'll want to cover the stand at the bottom, though, which isn't very festive), though not as densely bushy as the White Company version. The branches are hinged, so it is ready to go - the perfect canvas if you have plenty of decorations to hand. Buy now

Christmas Tree World: Iridescent Bianca pine tree 4ft to 10ft, from £159