I have chosen to review the 7ft models where available, which tend to be the most popular. But all are available in a range of sizes. Remember that you don’t have to plump for the most realistic artificial Christmas tree; twig trees, which were hugely popular last year, look set to be again this Christmas. PE allows tree makers to mould the needles for better realism,” Mac Harman says. “PE trees generally have the best quality, colour and shape of any type of artificial tree.” Which are the best artificial Christmas trees? Look for trees made of PE (polyethylene), whose needles are injection moulded in 3D, sometimes using moulds of branches from real trees to create a more life-like appearance. PVC models are instead cut out of flat material. As well as a choice of sizes from 4ft to a gargantuan 12ft, you get a range of lighting options. The Candlelight Clear, which I tested, has 650 bulbs. The multicoloured Colour + Clear version has 960 bulbs. The Twinkly Light Show option has just 480, but they can be controlled from a smartphone app for a variety of effects. There’s also an unlit version. We recommend that your tree should be at least 20cm shorter than the ceiling, to allow for a Christmas tree topper,” says Dani Taylor, product and creative director at Cox & Cox. “A tight squeeze always looks a little ill-thought-out.” Balsam Hill CEO Mac Harman adds that a 7ft 5in tree is best for a standard 8-9ft ceiling.

This 4ft high frosted tree makes an excellent secondary addition - either in the garden or in the hall or porch. The frosted tips are probably not going to fool anyone that they’re actually in Narnia - especially if the ground is bare of snow - but they bring a fun and festive element to the tree. You would need to use an artificial Christmas tree for 10 years for it to be more environmentally friendly than a real Christmas tree. This is because of metal, plastic, energy and water used in its manufacture and export (usually from China). A real Christmas tree removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while it’s growing and usually has less far to travel. It causes one tenth of the damage to the environment that an artificial Christmas tree does – unless it is being imported from overseas, in which case the transport emissions have to be taken into account. More realistic trees (like those from John Lewis, The White Company and Balsam Hill, above) have more branches and, importantly, more branch tips. A good 7ft tree should have over 1,000 tips and some have well over 2,000, the cost of production being reflected in the price. The weight of the overall tree will also give an idea of quality: expect a premium 7ft tree to weigh over 15kg, while a cheaper option could be around 8-10kg. What is more environmentally friendly, an artificial or real Christmas tree? Pre-lit Christmas trees may be fun, but there’s nothing more joyful than decorating your own tree, top to bottom with your own lights and Christmas tree decorations. The White Company’s bestselling tree has hyper-realistic branches in a very natural shade of green to resemble a real Nordmann Fir. There are a remarkable 1,754 tips to give a full, bushy effect. The branches themselves are realistic looking, made up of PE branches and PVC tips, and it is pre-lit with 100 warm white bulbs with eight different light settings. There’s no need to decorate this, meaning it creates an instant wow factor as soon as you’ve got it up and fluffed out the branches. The plastic pot it comes in is fine, but you might want to display it in something more decorative, or even a spare terracotta from the garden.Twig trees offer a contemporary and minimalist take on Christmas,” says Jason Billings-Cray, Christmas buyer at John Lewis. “They are also a great space saver for those with smaller homes, or those opting for more than one tree.” The tree is simple to set up - it comes in three sections, which slot together and then into the metal stand provided; the branches are hinged and need to be pulled down into place. Despite the fullness of the design, it is much less heavy than the Balsam Hill, coming in at 14.4kg. It comes unlit, ready for your own lights and Christmas decorations. Billings-Cray recommends “warm colour palettes of copper, orange and traditional red”.

I spent a week putting up a selection of artificial trees in my living room, at a range of price points. I wanted to see how closely they resembled real Christmas trees, judging them on the ease of assembly, safety features, durability (keeping an eye on any fake twigs breaking off), amount of branches, number of tips and detailing, as well as overall wow factor. Get in the holiday spirit with our merry selection of Christmas trees. From majestic trees with dense foliage to half trees for tight spaces, we've got a Christmas tree to suit everyone. This is the gold standard of faux trees: the branches are based on clippings from real Nordmann firs and have needles that are a dark waxy green on top, and gently curved to reveal a silvery underside - just like the real thing. Between the branches you can glimpse the trunk, which unlike some other models, has been designed to look like a real tree trunk to add to the naturalistic look. On this 7ft model there are 2,026 tips.