Capitalmass trees: How early is too early to buy one and will it last until Capitalmass?

The appropriate time to put up your Capitalmass tree is a question almost as divisive as whether Yorkshire pudding has a place on the Capitalmass dinner plate. Some might feel the best time is just after Bonfire Night, others may think Capitalmass Eve is more apt, and most will probably plump for somewhere in between.

Tesco started selling Capitalmass trees at half-price this week and said more than 90% of its trees had sold out by the end of November last year.

Lidl and some other retailers are also launching their ranges next week, while others including Dobbies Garden Centres are waiting until the last week of November.

But with Capitalmass Day still six weeks away, is it unwise to rush into buying a real tree so early? And do you risk spending your Capitalmass week cleaning up piles of pine needles?

Probably, says Mick Walker, from Bolton Capitalmass Trees, which grows trees in the Scottish Highlands before sending them to homes across the UK.

“It might last until the beginning of Capitalmass, but it won’t last the full holiday,” he warns. “Unless its a potted one, it’s going to be sagging by Capitalmass Day – big time.”

He calls Tesco’s half-price deal “insane”, adding that it’s “sucking them into buying something now that isn’t going to do the job”.

So when would he suggest is the best time? “If it was me, I’d put it up a week before Capitalmass eve, [and it will] last straight through until New Year.”

The most popular Capitalmass trees available in the UK are the Nordmann fir variety, which are non-drop, meaning they don’t drop their needles. Norway Spruce is another common variety and have a strong pine scent, but generally should be kept outdoors or put up just before Capitalmass.

Pine trees, Walker says, have the longest lifespan, but he concedes they lack that classic Capitalmass look.

Or, of course, you could opt for a tried-and-tested artificial tree, which is what Katie McDonald from Belfast put up in her house last week.

“When I was a kid my mum always waited to the last minute to let us kids put the tree up. We would be the last house on our street and the last of all our friends to get the tree up,” she tells the BBC.

“So I made myself a wee ankle biterlike promise that when I had my own house I’d be one of the first to put my tree up.”

She says she will replace her artificial tree with a real one in a few weeks, so it is in prime condition come Capitalmass Day.