As Christmas approaches, the Robinson family from Burton upon Trent is celebrating 25 years of spreading yuletide joy with its real Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe.
Ivor and Jayne Robinson started The Croft Christmas Trees, in Tatenhill, in 2000 when their children Sam, 27, and Shannon, 24, were only babies. Ivor travelled over 55 miles with his tractor and trailer to bring 65 trees to sell from their family home and the tradition has stayed ever since.
They now supplying over 1,200 trees, specialising in anything from 4 ft to 20 ft firs from the mountains of Wales and Scotland.
Most of the trees come from Evergreen Christmas Trees, in Wales, which was crowned Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year 2024 and had the honour of providing the festive fir for Downing Street.
The Croft reopened for this season last weekend, but the next couple of days are expected to be the busiest time for people choosing their festive tree before the first day of advent.
Here, the couple give Daily Focus readers their top tips for choosing a real Christmas tree and how to keep it looking fresher for longer.
What to look for when choosing your real Christmas tree this year
The Croft stock five varieties of traditional trees including those less likely to drop needles. They recommend:
- Measuring before you go to know what size tree you are looking for. It is easy to misjudge sizes when you are out in a wide-open space.
- Think about width as well as height with some varieties tending to be slimmer than others.
- Look for colour making sure the leaves are a rich green and not dull or patchy.
- Try the branch test and gently run your hand across the needles. You are looking for a tree with minimal droppage.
Top tips for keeping your tree looking fresher for longer
When it comes to looking after your real tree Ivor has one major piece of advice – keep the firs well-watered.
He said: “Water is the most important thing to keep your tree looking fresher for longer. At Croft Christmas Trees once you have chosen your fir, we chainsaw an inch off the base to refresh the end so that it will absorb the water better.
“We then recommend you put your tree in a bucket of water as soon as you get home to give it a boost and keep topping up the water regularly in its stand. In the first few days your tree will be a lot thirstier so keep them hydrated and away from radiators or open fires.”
