Review - Artificial Christmas tree from Balsam Hill

We have always had an artificial Christmas tree. It's much more practical for us as we are often away for several days over Christmas, and I actually prefer the more uniform shape of an artificial tree. Our old tree had begun to look a little tired though, so I was very pleased when Balsam Hill contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing one of their beautiful artificial trees.

We opted for the European Silver Fir 6' Candlelight LED tree. We are lucky to have plenty of space in our living room to display a larger tree, and I loved the idea of a pre-lit tree, as I always struggle to arrange the lights nicely. We put it up as soon as we received it, and it really is gorgeous.

The tree arrived safely packaged in three labelled segments which slot together easily and are then plugged together for the lights. The stand is also included, and the tree comes with a sturdy storage bag which will be really handy when we come to pack it away. The tree was very smartly presented too with thick ribbons holding it all together, a definite plus for presentation!

Along with the tree there were plenty of spare bulbs and fuses, and two pairs of gloves to wear when you are shaping the tree after assembly. Because this was the first time that we had assembled the tree, once put together we did need to spend a bit of time positioning the branches to make sure that it looked even, but that wasn't a problem.

The first thing that we noticed about the tree was just how realistic it is. We thought our previous artificial tree was fine, but it really does pale in comparison with this tree. Each branch looks so lifelike, and each needle is beautifully defined. The only way that it isn't true to life is that it doesn't shed needles everywhere, which was a problem even with our old artificial tree!

We normally decorate our tree by filling it up with tinsel and homemade decorations but this tree felt too nice to be overloaded with decorations so we have just kept it really simple (the children have the old one upstairs to decorate as they please). The tree has Candlelight LEDs on which have a softer glow than normal LED lights, and with all the lights (there are an amazing 550 of them!) it doesn't need many decorations at all! The only thing to know is that the lights are static so they don't flash or twinkle.

We are so pleased with our Balsam Hill tree and I would fully recommend them, this tree is going to be a part of our Christmas for many years to come!

Prices for the European Silver Fur currently range from £119 (5' unlit) to £319 (7' with Candlelight LEDs). Our tree is the 6' tree with Candlelight LEDs which is currently priced at £229. We received this tree in exchange for a review.