Nothing says Christmas like a beautiful tree lighting up your home. Did you know this tradition stems from Germany and was popularized by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the mid-1800’s when they were depicted in a drawing standing around a Christmas tree – thus a worldwide trend was started and now we can’t imagine the festive time of year without a twinkling tree.

One of the biggest questions in 2019 is real or fake – which one is better for the environment.

According to the Huffington post ‘The short answer, which may come as a surprise to some, is a real tree. But it’s actually more complicated than that. It ultimately depends on a variety of factors, including how far you drive to get your evergreen and how you dispose of it at the end of the holidays ― and, if you choose an artificial tree, how long you end up using it. ‘ and if you would like to learn more about the arguments for and against please see the article.

FUN FACT – In Berlin used Christmas trees are recycled as food for the elephants at the Berlin Zoo, so your beautiful tree makes a healthy snack!

However you decide, Berlin offers you options for both.

Real Trees – available at all Hardware Stores such as OBI, Toom, Bauhaus, Ikea. You can also rent trees in a pot and have them delivered and picked up again.

Mitte – Weihnachtsurwald

Prenzlauer Berg – Der Tannenmann

Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf – Tannentraum

Zehlendorf – Werderaner Tannenhof

Fake Trees: Available at all Hardware stores such as OBI, Toom, Bauhaus, Ikea, also at all the big department stores for example Karstadt, Galleria Kaufhof or KaDeWe.

About the author

Hi there! I’m Juli, German roots but I grew up in New Zealand and have been living in Germany since 2004. I love sharing my passion for Berlin and all it has to offer with new ‘Berliners’ and through my work as a freelance Relocation Consultant with IRC I have the opportunity to do so.