When Should You Put Your Christmas Tree Up?

There is no single right date, but there are good reasons to pick one date over another. Tradition says one thing, the retailers say another, and the tree itself has an opinion that matters more than either.

Here is when to put your Christmas tree up, what the traditions actually say, and how the answer changes depending on which tree you buy.

The short answer

For a Nordmann Fir, the first weekend of December is safe. It holds its needles for four to five weeks, so it will still look right on Christmas Day.

For a Norway Spruce, wait until mid December. It drops sooner, so a later start means it peaks on the day that counts.

For a pot grown tree, bring it in as late as you can bear. Two weeks indoors is its limit.

The traditions, and they disagree

The first Sunday of Advent

The oldest answer, and the one most of Europe still follows. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which lands somewhere between 27 November and 3 December.

This is the tradition with the strongest claim, and it happens to line up neatly with the first week of December. It is also when most of Britain now puts its tree up, whether or not anyone realises why.

Twelve days before Christmas

A stricter reading puts the tree up on 13 December, twelve days before Christmas Day. This suits a Norway Spruce well, because it gets the tree into its prime for the 25th.

Christmas Eve

The strictest tradition of all, and the original one in many households. The tree went up on Christmas Eve, often after the children were in bed, and appeared as if by magic on Christmas morning.

Almost nobody does this now, and a month of anticipation has replaced it. But it is the most traditional answer of the lot.

The Victorians

Prince Albert brought the German custom to Britain and made it fashionable. The Victorians tended to put the tree up on Christmas Eve and take it down on Twelfth Night. The long December tree is a modern invention.

What the tree thinks

This is the part the traditions cannot help with, and it is the part that decides whether your tree looks good on Christmas Day.

A cut Christmas tree is a cut flower. It is alive, it is drinking, and it has a finite time indoors before it dries out. Every day it spends in a warm room is a day off its life.

So the question is not really "when should I put my tree up". It is "how long will my tree last, and when do I want it to peak".

Nordmann Fir: four to five weeks

Thick, waxy needles that hold moisture. A watered Nordmann will hold four to five weeks indoors, which means a tree up on 1 December is still looking good on Christmas Day with room to spare.

This is why the Nordmann is the tree for people who want a long Christmas.

Norway Spruce: about three weeks

Thinner needles that dry faster. Three weeks is realistic with good care, and less without it.

Put a Norway Spruce up on 1 December and it will be tired by Christmas. Put it up around 10 to 15 December and it will be perfect.

You are trading a shorter season for the scent, which no Nordmann can match. That is a fair trade, but it means being disciplined about the date.

Pot grown: two weeks maximum

A living tree in a warm house breaks dormancy. It thinks spring has come, pushes out soft new growth, and then suffers when it goes back out into a January frost.

Ten days to a fortnight indoors, no more. Bring it in mid December and take it out just after Christmas. See our potted tree care guide.

Does putting it up early ruin the tree?

Not if you buy the right tree and look after it.

A Nordmann Fir up on 1 December, cut properly and watered daily, will be fine. What ruins a tree is not the date. It is the two things people skip.

Cut an inch off the trunk before it goes in the stand. Sap seals the cut end within hours of harvesting, and once sealed the tree cannot take up water no matter how full the reservoir looks.

Then check the water every single day. If it runs dry even once, the trunk seals over and the tree stops drinking for good.

Do those two things and an early tree is no problem. Skip them and even a late tree will drop. More in our guide to keeping your tree fresh.

When should you order your tree?

This is a different question, and the answer is: earlier than you think.

Ordering early does not mean the tree comes early. You choose your delivery date at checkout, and we cut the tree to order the working day before it travels. So you can order in September and take delivery on 12 December.

What you are booking is the date, not the tree. The popular delivery dates, the weekends in early and mid December, go first. Leave it late and you take what is left.

We deliver from 17 November to 22 December and you can pre-order from September. See our Christmas tree delivery details.

When should you take it down?

Twelfth Night, traditionally. That falls on 5 or 6 January depending on which count you follow, and superstition says leaving decorations up beyond it brings bad luck.

The practical answer is whenever the tree tells you. A dry, dropping tree in mid January is doing nothing for anyone.

When it comes down, do not put it in a skip. Most councils collect and chip trees for mulch in January, often free. Many charities collect for a donation, which is a good way to support a hospice. You can also add our tree collection service to your order.

A pot grown tree goes back outside instead, in stages, so it does not get shocked by the cold.

So when should you put your Christmas tree up?

Do what you like. It is your house and it is Christmas.

But if you want a tree that looks its best on the day: buy a Nordmann Fir and put it up on the first weekend of December, or buy a Norway Spruce and put it up around the middle of the month.

Then cut the trunk, water it daily, and keep it off the radiator.

FAQs

Is 1 December too early for a Christmas tree?

Not for a Nordmann Fir. It will hold four to five weeks if you water it. It is too early for a Norway Spruce.

What is the traditional day to put up a Christmas tree?

The first Sunday of Advent, between 27 November and 3 December. Stricter traditions say twelve days before, or Christmas Eve.

How long will a real Christmas tree last?

Four to five weeks for a watered Nordmann Fir. About three for a Norway Spruce.

When should I order my tree?

As early as you can. You are booking a delivery date, not the tree, and the best dates go first. We cut to order.

When should I take my tree down?

Twelfth Night, 5 or 6 January, by tradition. Or when it starts dropping.

Read our complete guide to real Christmas trees, or choose your tree and pick your delivery date.