Best Christmas trees: artificial and pre-lit trees to bring the festive spirit home

Christmas may be weeks away, but according to data, people have been shopping for them since August.

It’s never too early to organise and make sure the most wonderful time of the year lives up to its billing. No festive setting is complete without the ultimate piece of decoration - the tree.

Dressed up to the nines with much-loved baubles, glittering tinsel and other merry flourishes, it’s the centrepiece for households all over the UK, made to stir seasonal joy with ever glance.

Real Christmas Trees vs Realistic Christmas Trees

Real fir trees can be difficult to lug home (even with a car) and require repurchasing every December. Then there’s the quandry of how to get rid of them once the day has been and gone; nothing kills Christmas cheer like the sight of tree carcasses in the street.

Investing in an artificial one will spare you the annual expense, while ensuring you have one ready to go, year after year. The lack of shedding sharp needles also makes them a far more appealing option for allergy sufferers, pet-owners and new parents.

Park worries about them looking cheap; the plastic pretenders of the past are long gone. Our edit of modern artificial trees are oh-so faux and fabulous.

Before we delve into our list of the best faux trees and pre-lit trees, a quick history lesson, fun facts to roll out around the Christmas lunch table.

A (short) history of the Christmas tree

The idea of a decorated tree can be traced back to 16th century Germany with Martin Luther who was the first to style his tannenbaum, or fir tree, with lit candles. With health and safety regulations still centuries away, its prettiness far outweighed the considerable risk of fire. Soon copycat versions started springing up all over western Europe.

There’s an even older origin story that pre-dates Christianity; some believe the Pagans brought trees indoors, decorating them in honour of the winter solstice - long before the arrival of Jesus H. These days, it’s near impossible to imagine placing your gifts under anything but a festively festooned tree.

Pre-lit artificial trees

As well as plain artificial trees, you can get ones with lights embedded within the realistic-looking branches and needles. Pre-lit trees are even more economical because you can skip the expense of buying extra fairy lights. Plus, when it comes to storage, everything can be bundled away in a single compact package - no untangling endless wires.

Available in a range of styles and shapes and to suit all budgets, you can get everything from a ceiling-scraper, to a statement tree designed to turn heads and spark interest.

From rave-worthy neon trees to lifelike giants plucked straight from Lapland, here are the best artificial and pre-lit trees for Christmas.

See our favourites below

Homebase 7.5ft Glitter Tipped Pre-lit Premium Christmas Tree

Forget spending your precious time vacuuming up fallen pine leaves or becoming tangled in fairy lights. Homebase has the cheat's way to do Christmas easily. This 7.5ft tree does all the fiddly work with 500 pre-lit lights, glittery tips on posable branches, and pine cones for an authentic feel. They've stopped short of including baubles so you can still have your time-honoured tree-dressing ritual, and you're more likely to end up with a decent-looking creation.

Buy now £300.00, Homebase

The White Company Pre-Lit Grand Spruce Christmas Tree - 9ft

This luxury retailer is selling a selection of artificial trees and pre-lit faux trees, up to 9ft tall. They come with tree skirts in rustic, contemporary and multi-purpose styles to suit all tastes.

If you’re lucky enough to have particularly high ceilings, this Grand Spruce Christmas tree would look amazing either set by a window or further into the room so it can be admired from all angles. The hyper-realistic branches come with 1,000 warm fairy lights embedded so you can skip the ordeal of tangled wires this year. Just add a few choice ornaments and you’re ready to go.

If you’re looking for a smaller but as impressive look, shop all trees at The White Company here.

£695.00, The White Company

Cox & Cox Young Pine Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

Netflix's Bridgerton continues to wield its influence, at least over at Cox & Cox, where styling inspired by the pastel-tinted show is one of the biggest trends for Christmas. If you want to recreate the dainty look, it all starts with the tree, and this pre-lit hyper-realistic version is an ideal foundation. There are eight light settings to fit your mood, whether you're after a gentle twinkle or straight-up static to impress guests. With uniformly placed LED bulbs, you can skip stringing it yourself and skip straight to the good part - adding baubles or clip-on peonies.

Buy now £450.00, Cox & Cox

HOMCOM 5FT Pink Artificial Christmas Tree

Good enough to display on its own, this white and pink ombre tree is an ideal choice for maximalists and minimalists alike. It comes in both 5ft and 6ft heights with a foldable weighted base that will be useful when it's time to pack your tree awa.

Buy now £47.99, Amazon

Habitat 6ft Dancing Lights Christmas Tree - Green

Nevermind a pre-lit tree - how about one that can provide the tunes too? From Habitat, this 80s-look beauty is pre-loaded with seven seasonal classics with the 300 LED lights flashing along to the music. There's warm white when you want elegance and multicolours for party time. A versatile piece that'll stand you in good stead for many Decembers to come.

Buy now £135.00, Argos

WeRChristmas Pre-Lit Ombre Christmas Tree

Let your tree do all the talking this Christmas with a monochrome ombre effect destined to steal the spotlight. Available in a choice of 6ft or 7ft, the design comes with 250 warm white LED lights set amongst 770 faux tips. There are eight different settings to switch your lights to when you fancy a subtle change, giving it an enduring look that'll impress all Yuletide long.

Buy now £189.99, Amazon

Dunelm 6ft Snowy Cashmere Christmas Tree with Cones

If it's luxe you're looking for, say ho-ho-hello to this real-looking tree, with needles so fine and soft they're like cashmere. Complete with a tree stand, the plain tree comes with a gentle frosting and pine cones nestled within the greenery, making it a perfect blank canvas for anyone who likes to change their look annually.

Buy now £129.00, Dunelm

7ft Snowy Dorchester Pine Feel-Real Artificial Christmas Tree

It’s anyone’s guess whether it will snow for Christmas 2022, but for guarantees of a frosted fir, Hayes Garden World has just the thing. This majestic creation is made to look just its been transported from a Scandinavian forest, complete with pinecones peeking out amongst the branches. As a bonus, it comes with free delivery and a lifetime guarantee

Buy now £249.00, Hayes Garden World

VEYLIN 6ft Christmas Tree 700 Tips Artificial Tree

You don’t need to dig deep to find a Christmas tree on a budget. Inspired by the mighty pine, this tree measures 6ft tall and comes with a stand to keep everything steady. A pink coloured tree is also available, should you fancy a contemporary look over the traditional.

Buy now £30.99, Amazon

The Pre-lit Ultra Devonshire Half Tree Warm White Lights

If you only have a corner to install a tree, it can feel pointless to buy a tree as one side of it will be blocked out of sight. Half trees may look odd straight out of the box but are an ingenious solution when backed against a wall or corner.

This version from specialist Christmas Tree World comes with warm white lights embedded within, so no awkward stringing for you. You can get it from 4ft to 7ft, so it should fit a range of spaces. A sound investment for Christmases to come.

There’s an entire forest of trees to be found at Christmas Tree World, from slim and snow-covered designs to pleasingly realistic bushy ones in a range of heights.

Buy now £59.99, Christmas Tree World

John Lewis Pre-lit Christmas Tree in Zinc Bucket, 3ft

Only have a small space to designate to your 2022 tree? Get a miniature version of a mighty spruce that's pre-lit to boot, and bask in the instant Christmas cheer it brings. Standing three-feet high, there are 40 static battery-operated lights to admire. Positioned in a zinc bucket (that would look lovely with a festive red bow), the pre-made nature of this faux design means less time styling and more time eating mince pies.

Find more Christmas trees at John Lewis.

Buy now £45.00, John Lewis

Habitat 6ft Half Parasol Christmas Tree - Green

When you have small creatures around - babies or beast - baubles can be irresistible playthings. Keep your perfectly decorated tree away from curious paws with this (admittedly) odd-looking parasol tree from Habitat. The 6ft design retains the top half of the tree, keeping the mid to lower part out of reach from kids and pets.

The half height also means there’s enough space to place those bigger gifts under the tree.

Buy now £55.00, Argos

The Seasonal Aisle 3 Piece Green Pine Christmas Trees with 20 Clear/White Light Set and Stand

For those who wish to nail Christmas in one no-fuss hit, head to Wayfair where this set of Yuletide foliage is ready to give your front door a festive makeover. Ideal for decorating the porch, the pack consists of twin faux trees in matching stone-effect pots as well as a pine needle wreath for the door. Three strings of LED lights are also part of the purchase, each using two AA batteries. Leave plain or add a layer of extra merriment with baubles or tinsel.

Buy now £79.99, Wayfair

Natural Wood Company Alternative Oak Christmas Tree

Part tree, part sculpture, all kinds of wonderful. This is the tree for those who do things differently. Lovingly crafted, the design is made from strong and sustainable FSC English Oak, and each branch can be moved independently around the trunk.

This means you can arrange them in a spiral formation, flat against the wall or in a random order to mimic a real tree. Perfect for those with storage issues, it can be broken down and stored in a custom-made jute drawstring bag, or left upright but flat against the back of a cupboard or bookcase.

Seven sizes available.

Buy now £98.00, NOTHS

Cox & Cox Wooden Scandi Tree

Interiors fans know Japandi is the hottest craze in the decor world right now, with clean elegant shapes framing polished natural materials. If you’re looking to adopt the look for Yuletide 2022, this tree is textbook. Made from blonde wood and with a sturdy base, it’s the perfect setting to let your ornaments take the festive spotlight.

Buy now £175.00, Cox & Cox