Best Artificial Christmas Tree • Featuring B&Q

I don't like Christmas time, I LOVE Christmas time. Like really love it. I adore the decorations, the parties, the wrapping, the food, the total justification to watch Love Actually on loop for 2 weeks.

I love the look of complete amazement in the boys eyes as the house gets covered in fairy lights and I take such pleasure putting up our Christmas tree. I've been growing a collection of baubles for years and the ritual of bringing them down from the loft and remembering when I bought each one, just makes me feel warm and cosy inside!

I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I sit in the co-ordinated tree camp. I am all for the magic of Christmas being about the children, heck I have lovingly kept every single decoration they have ever made, wrapped up their tissue paper-glittery- creations each January and hoarded every cotton wool bearded Santa but... they have their tree and I have mine! It's like a reward at the end of the year - perfectly placed baubles, my boy helping me, with a bit of Mariah in the background and all the standing back, squinting to the left, squinting to the right, faffing and fiddling!

One of the things I adore about the house is it's very traditional layout and because we use the bigger living space for a family/dining room, it means we have the more formal sitting room as our grown up lounge. The boys blast in, we will have the coffee table covered in snacks for movie night on Christmas Day and the dogs will stretch out in front of the fire, but it's a room that I can pretty up with a beautiful tree in my favourite colours.

This year I knew I wanted to add to my gold and white collection, and was thrilled to collaborate with B&Q to show you their range of artificial trees and their new range of decorations. 

You know when you walk into a shop and want them all. That. 

They have totally managed to combine incredible value with great design, contemporary geometrics and luxurious textures. And the best thing of all the majority are shatterproof! We tested them - they bounce! 

We have boys who don't walk they bolt. And with 2 cheeky westie pups I resisted the urge to fill my trolley with the ceramic hanging baubles and hearts, and instead picked up two as real special ones. Our pup Moose in particular cannot be trusted indoors, even with a green rug, he sees it as a big piece of grass - so an artificial tree is definitely for us! 

I do love the smell and shape of a real tree, but I also like a big bushy one! And one I can tease into shape, manipulate to hang heavier decorations and which needs nothing after Christmas than squeezing back into it's box and popping in the loft.

I walked the aisle debating the pros and cons with another customer, pre-light vs a bargain price, more realistic needles vs berry embellishments but ultimately for me it's all about the shape. I love a tree which has beautiful symmetry, one with a longer top branch which I always need to fold over to fit into the wonky area in front of the window seat. 

I was so impressed at the huge range, for every budget and so many under £50 and under £100, that looked far more expensive.

Then I set eyes on the Lakewood beauty and that was it! A good quality artificial tree is an investment, if you want the more realistic looking branches, a variety of greenery, those extra built in decorations, you do spend a little more. But it's so worth it, our previous tree has been in our Christmas photos for 10 years! 

Our room is fairly neutrally decorated with pale grey walls and blue accessories. We have brass wall lamps and curtain poles and the warm gold tones help to make it feel cosier. 

I like to have a base of more basic baubles, plain, simple and good fillers. I use cheap small crackers and bows too to add interest but at a fraction of the price of more intricate decorations, and save the best spots of the tree for the fancier baubles.

I always start with the sturdier larger baubles at the bottom (THINK BOISTEROUS BOYS & WOOFERS) and work upwards, like a pyramid. 

I also rummaged through the sale baskets by the till points and found some bargain 20p triangular patterned glittery baubles from their 2014 range! 

Colour coded branches - this was a totally new concept on me! So simple but so effective!

By having individual branches to attach rather than shaking out a three piece tree as I have done in the past, you get to really tease out each individual stem. 

This means that you can build the shape from the bottom and then give it a final zhush. 

The best thing about this tree is that once all the smaller branches are splayed out you can't see through it. The thicker branches fill out all the gaps and they all are strong enough to take the heaviest of baubles.

It honestly feels like such a treat to walk into the room, I have mixed our new decorations with some treasured old ones and feel like I have this almost heirloom type sentiment collection. All with the most beautiful angel coloured by the boys! 

And just in case you thought I was telling porkies...

Thank you to B&Q for inviting me to select our tree and decorations this year. I couldn't be more thrilled with our beautiful bushy fir! Now I just need to get wrapping and fill the underneath with presents!

What colour scheme are you going for this year?! Are you a classic red and green fan or love a complete colourful rainbow for your tree? 

Tonight I have an old twig wreath that I want to hang from the ceiling over the dining table. I am going to paint some feathers with gold tips and hang them with mistletoe with some rough string. And then our festive decor will be complete.

Happy decorating!