While I felt this was among the best of John Lewis offering, the brand has a huge array of choice, including the cheaper Petersberg and Fireside ranges, which have fewer tips. We all love the idea of a real Christmas tree, from the beautiful scent to the joy of heading out to select your chosen pine each year.

Balsam Hill trees are easy to construct, coming in three sections that plug into each other, but they are very heavy (up to 174kg for the 12ft tree). So, enjoy decorating your new favourite purchase; some of the artificial Christmas trees in our edit even come pre-lit, meaning no faffing around untangling strings of lights (even more of those this way). 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.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. Set yourself apart from the rest with our range of navy or black Christmas trees for a sharp and modern feel. This 6ft copper-coloured twig tree from John Lewis fills the same space, is pre lit with 600 pure white LEDs (although this is a slight black mark from me as pure white is not as soft as warm white and can be too bright). And if white Christmas is the theme this year, go for a dreamy white tree that you can decorate with blue Christmas tree decorations for a unique and eye-catching sight. Habitat is a trading name of Argos Limited who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker (713206), and works exclusively with the lender, Home Retail Group Card Services Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide credit (716148).

The Twinkly Light Show option has just 480, but they can be controlled from a smartphone app for a variety of effects.This is thanks to a more extensive design process, enabling makers to craft more realistic branches and tips: “I can’t tell you how much goes into designing our faux collection to make every branch look as close to the real thing as possible,” says Chrissie Rucker, founder of White Company.

Easy to assemble, just slot the pieces together and into the base, then lower the hinged branches into place.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. As realistic as it looks, it's still artificial which means you can pack it back in its box ready for next year.