Christmas atmospheres are on: from digging your own Christmas trees to the most beautiful artificial trees
You know it, that ultimate feel good taking a moment from a Christmas tree. All the cheesy jolly good moments. And then it should snow, with Christmas music and then... we take that tree home. Just like in the movie. It's funny, where 'in the past' the tree and lights were only brought into the house after Santa Claus, but now it can't start early enough in our opinion. So set it all up. Lamps in it. Balls up. And voilà, Christmas is here! And that tree? We can achieve this in various (fun) ways.
We admit: a real tree smells good, choosing one adds to the festive spirit and is simply part of Christmas. But artificial trees are more sustainable and that is also important. An artificial tree has to last about ten years before you can get the sustainable profit out of it and you'll get to that in no time. Provided you invest in a good quality tree. Still prefer with Christmas a 'fresh' Christmas tree? Then do it as sustainably as possible. How? It's coming.
This is one of those initiatives that you can't help but like. BetterBoompje. Because did you know that 2,5 million Christmas trees are thrown away every year? It's bizarre actually. So then BeterBoompje came up with the idea of replacing disposable Christmas trees with Christmas trees that can be planted again. And a beautiful Christmas tree in your house and with a beautiful Christmas spirit.
So there are two methods at BeterBoompje. One Christmas tree has no root ball. For every Christmas tree sold, they plant two reusable organic adoptable cherry trees in return. Where? In their own Christmas tree forest. Or BeterBoompje with root ball. You return this tree after the holidays and BeterBoompje will then plant the tree back in nature.
Create your own Christmas tree and make it as difficult or easy as you want. Do you have an extension ladder like this (preferably made of wood and a bit older for extra atmosphere)? Then you can put it down, twist lights around it, put balls in it and put a spike on it and you will soon have a kind of Christmas tree. If this is a bit too simplistic, you can go creabea on your wall. Paint, draw or paste a Christmas tree from what you have on hand. Pinterest has tons of fun ideas and inspiration here (wall trees from old pallets, branches, Christmas balls, photos). Not a lot of space to put your gifts, but a fun craft project and ideal for rooms that are actually too small for a Christmas tree. Or make a spiral Christmas tree from leaves and branches found in the forest.
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As we said, such an artificial tree is sustainable. Every year you take it down from the attic, plug your lights into the socket and go, look at that tree shine than! And you repeat that 'process' annually. The only downside? You can often immediately see that it is a fake. Since the (artificial) tree that we bring into our home (read: from the attic) must of course look good, we only want the most beautiful of the most beautiful. These are good looking artificial Christmas trees that you can use again and again every year:
Artificial Christmas tree from Royal Christmas. This one is ordinary almost indistinguishable from a real Nordmann. And very good made of 100% PP material with brown branches, green needles and light green growth. And nice and simple to set up due to the hinge construction. Do you want one with lights? Also possible! Too nice not to mention: all LED trees from this brand have one Smart Adapter (hello control lights via your phone!). Order a Royal Christmas tree here.
Artificial Christmas tree from Melinera. With 1160 flexible branches, this fake is just like the real thing. The artificial Christmas tree is made of two different types of branches, which are used for that real Christmas tree -effect. Order a Melinera tree here.
The high Veluwe. Sawing, sawing, weeding... Do you not want an 'ordinary' spruce this year, but a real free-range pine? Then you have to go to De Hoge Veluwe National Park. Here you can choose a tree for free, saw it and take it with you. This is not only fun (hello family outing), but also good for the park. We hear you thinking: huh, with that sawing? Yes, really! The pine trees grow in an open drifting sand area which – you guessed it – must remain open. These pines grow too fast, causing the area to become dense and gradually disappear. Win-win-win. Make your appointment here!
't Hobbyveld in Doorneburg (Gelderland). We go into the field with thousands of Christmas trees. Look, poke around, look further, decide, saw (less sustainable!), remove the root ball from the ground, pay and voila, take that wonderfully scented tree home. Do you prefer fast and practical? That is also possible here, because there is already a whole collection of trees ready, you do not have to saw or remove them from the ground yourself. Read more here.
The Kuinderbos (Flevoland). Choosing a Christmas tree is the most wonderful start to the holidays. At the Kuinderbos you can saw the tree yourself or – our sustainable favorite – dig it out, root ball and all. Since the Kuinderbos is a forestry (as they call it) of Staatsbosbeheer, the forest ranger will show you the way and help where necessary. If you have a shovel or saw, take it with you. And good to know: you have to walk about 700 meters to get to the sawing location. You can go here on Saturday, December 10, 2022. Book a time slot here.
Don't want to research it yourself, but want to find out? That is possible in Frisian garyp at Elzinga Christmas trees.
Country estate Christmas trees in Bunnik (Utrecht). In Bunnik at Buitengoed Christmas Trees it is one big Christmas tree party. Behind the tall pine trees you will find the 'Christmas orchard' with a Christmas shop (hello gadgets) and nativity scene (hello hot chocolate). The trees are fresh - sawn or spit - and organically sourced from our own fields. The trees are grown in a consciously sustainable manner (read: without artificial fertilizer and/or chemical pesticides) and a young tree will be planted for every sawn or split tree. More information can be found here!
Christmas tree court in Terheijden (North Brabant). The first Christmas trees were grown in the courtyard of the Van Haperen family farm about twenty years ago and to this day you can still visit here for a beautiful tree. There is something for everyone. From large trees to small ones in a pot, narrow or thick trees. In the pine field you can choose from thousands of trees. And a plus: you can get one for a nice price. Want to know more? Then read more here.
The Christmas tree farm in Oldehove (Groningen). When we think of Christmas, we think of family. This is also the case at the Christmas Tree Farm. This farm is a real family business in Grûn. You can choose your Christmas tree while walking among the animals. Be sure to choose one with a root ball, so that you can plant it in the garden after Christmas. Read more here!
Not only is it fun to pull a Christmas tree out of the ground, it also smells nice in your house.
If you have opted for a Christmas tree without a root ball and are therefore unable to plant it again, then you can still do something with it. Cooking, for example. Yes, seriously, the needles of the pine tree are very aromatic and you can really do fun things with them. For example, spruce needle butter or spruce needle jam. You will find many more great recipes in the cookbook 'eat & drink your Christmas tree' from Lowlander (that's right, the brewery that makes beer from Christmas trees).
Enough spruce needle butter for the rest of 2023? Then you can also hand in your tree at one of Lowlander's collection points, so that a new batch of Winter IPA can be brewed. So yes, those Christmas trees.
You can return items in Amsterdam (tHuis aan de Amstel), Breda (Bruxelles), The Hague (Café Berger), Groningen (Dot), Haarlem (Wachtlokaal), Nijmegen (Stroom Lent), Rotterdam (Supernova) and Utrecht (Botania).
