Christmas Tree Statistics UK 2022 - When Do We Put Them Up?

Christmas Tree Statistics UK 2022

Yep you heard right, we're talking about the "C" word already - sue us! For obvious reasons, Christmas trees are synonymous with Christmas and a firm favourite festive item in many homes across the UK each year. For those who celebrate, they provide a place to keep our prezzies safe in the lead up to the big day, a chance to bond with our families and show off our artistic flare in the form of ace tree-decorating skills! 

However, our beloved Christmas trees also have the power to divide the nation, sparking much controversy and debate within households, workplaces and institutions all over the country. As if families don't already have enough to argue about over the holidays, they risk being torn apart by dividing questions such as ‘Do you have a real or artificial Christmas tree?’ ‘What colour tree do you have?’ And most importantly... ‘When do you put your tree up?!’

Here we round up all the up-to-date Christmas tree statistics of 2022, including when most people in the UK put their tree up, which colour trees are our favourite and whether or not real or artificial trees are the way to go. This could be interesting!

Christmas Tree Statistics: The Short Version

In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary of our favourite festive findings!

• The most popular Christmas tree colour (other than the classic green or white) is black, being searched for online approximately 33,500 times in November 2021 alone.
• Artificial trees are more popular than real trees, as they were searched for 20,000 more times in November 2021 than their real counterparts (110,000 searches for artificial vs 90,000 searches for real).
• Many of us start looking for Christmas trees in the month of November, with 1.2 million searches being made for the product in November 2021.
• Liverpool is the most Christmassy city in the UK when it comes to festive greenery, as more than 93% of the population puts a Christmas tree up each year. In comparison, Brighton has the least Christmas trees, with just 77% putting a tree up at all.
• Women put their Christmas trees up earlier than men on average and are more likely to put one up at all.

How Popular Are Christmas Trees in the UK?

Putting up your Christmas tree really gets you into the festive spirit, allowing family and friends to come together and celebrate this special time of year. But just how popular are Christmas trees in the UK in 2022?

To find out, we conducted a survey using Censuswide in July 2021 asking 2,000 UK adults about their household’s Christmas tree traditions. Our survey found that: 

• 85% of UK adults have a Christmas tree up in their household each year.
• 10.5% never put a Christmas tree up and 4.5% don’t usually put one up.
• Which means that almost 10 million people in the UK often don’t put a Christmas tree up at all. Sleigh, what?!

We also explored this by analysing search volumes extracted from Google.

Our analysis found that: 

• The search term “Christmas tree” was searched over 3 million times in the UK in 2021.
• 2.4 million of these searches were made in November and December alone.
• This means that on average, someone in the UK searches online for the term ‘Christmas tree’ every 2 seconds in the lead up to Christmas! Wowza.

It’s important to be aware that some of these searches may have been made on multiple occasions by the same individual, so each search does not correlate directly with a different individual. Also, some people may be conducting a search to find out more about Christmas trees, not necessarily with the intention of purchasing one. What’s more, we’re also mindful that many people buy their Christmas trees in brick and mortar stores, the figures obtained in this keyword research simply provide an overview of online interest.

What Colour Christmas Tree is Most Popular in the UK in 2022?

Christmas trees now come in a wide variety of colours, covered in festive decorations to make the season jolly! But which colour of Christmas tree is most popular in the UK?

Search volumes for “X Christmas tree” in the UK in November 2020 with “X” being the colour in question. Search volumes extracted from Google.

• As you can see from the graph, Black Christmas trees appear to be the most popular colour, as they’re the most searched-for variant in the UK behind green and white, totalling almost 50,000 searches in the month of November.
• This is then followed by Pink Christmas trees, which was searched for more than 40,000 times.
• Then Grey and Rainbow, which claim joint 3rd place in terms of average search volumes.

Christmas Tree Colours Around The UK

So would you believe that the most popular alternative Christmas tree colour is black?! With pink, grey and even rainbow being amongst the most searched for in the UK. But what’s your city’s favourite colour tree? 

To find out, we took a closer look at search volumes by each major town and city across the UK, using population data obtained from the Office of National Statistics (England and Wales), NISRA (Ireland) and NRS (Scotland) for towns and cities with a population higher than 73,224.

The most searched-for Christmas tree colours in different parts of the UK (besides green and white).

As you can see from the map:

• Black Christmas trees are most popular amongst the highest number of cities and towns, including Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Belfast, Swindon, Birmingham and Aberdeen.
• Pink Christmas trees on the other hand, are most popular in places such as Liverpool, High Wycombe, Exeter, Plymouth and Worcester.
• Whereas those in St Helens, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Bath and Worthing browse the web more for Grey Christmas Trees than any other unconventional colour.
• Rainbow Christmas trees (one of our personal favourites amongst the alternative Christmas tree colours), appear to be most sought-after in areas such as Bristol, Bournemouth, Cambridge, Shrewsbury, Harrogate, Grimsby and Cardiff.

Other towns and cities search for multiple different coloured Christmas trees with the same amount of frequency. Such as Brighton and Hove who search most for both Pink and Rainbow coloured trees and London, where people conduct the same volume of searches for both Black and Pink Christmas Trees.

Real Christmas Trees vs Artificial Christmas Trees - Which Are More Popular in the UK?

Now for another real debate - artificial or real? There are benefits to both with some saying that artificial trees are easier and more affordable, whilst others insist that only real trees can truly bring the festive spirit! But which is Britain's most favoured Christmas tree type in 2022? 

To find out, we once again conducted a keyword analysis using the methods described above to discover which type of tree is searched most frequently in the UK.

Search volumes in November 2021 for “Real Christmas tree” and “Artificial Christmas tree” in the UK.

As you can see, artificial trees win the popularity contest when it comes to online searches, generating 110,000 searches in November 2021. This is a massive 20,000 more than searches for “Real Christmas trees”. But which parts of the UK prefer a real tree and where are artificial variants most popular?

Using the same methods as above, we found that:

• Real Christmas Trees are favoured in many of the country’s largest cities, including London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff.
• Artificial trees on the other hand, are most popular in places such as Shrewsbury, Preston, York, Weston-super-Mare and Southampton.
• In some cities, though, artificial and real Christmas trees are just as popular as one another. With the likes of Newport, Belfast, Derry, Gloucester and Middlesbrough conducting the same volumes of searches for both tree types.

When Do We Put Our Christmas Trees Up?

Now the one you've all been waiting for... When is too early and when is too late?! To find a definitive answer, we conducted a survey asking the general public ‘When do you (or your household) put your Christmas tree up?’.

‘When do you/your household put your Christmas tree up?’ survey conducted using Censuswide, asking a nationally representative sample of 2,002 UK adults. 

• As you can see, the highest proportion of people in the UK put their trees up during the first week of December, with 29.1% of respondents revealing that this is when they put theirs up.
• The second largest proportion of people (22.1%) put their trees up in the second week of December.
• With 9.8% putting their Christmas Tree up in the third week of December and 7.6% leaving it until a few days before Christmas!

How Many People Put Their Christmas Trees Up Early?

If you feel like being a rebel without a Claus this Christmas and putting your tree up early - you’re not alone, trust us. Our survey found that: 

• Although the vast majority of people in the UK (69.5%) put their trees up in December.
• 13.4% put their Christmas trees up in November.
• And 2% of the population get into the festive spirit months in advance and put their trees up before November even begins!

And How Many Leave Their Christmas Tree 'til the Last Minute?

Christmas is a busy time of year for many of us, but just how many people in the UK leave putting their tree up until the last few days before Christmas? 

Our survey found that: 

• 1 in every 35 UK adults (2.85%) put their tree up on the 22nd December.
•  1.95% do so on the 23rd.
• 1.65% don’t erect their trees until Christmas Eve.
•  And believe it or not, 1.1% put their trees up on Christmas day itself! That’s the equivalent of 733,150 people!

Are Men Or Women More Christmassy?

Our survey found that women are more likely to have a Christmas tree than men, as 90% of women say their household puts a Christmas tree up. Whilst only 80% of men say they have a Christmas tree up in their home during the festive period.

While some say that November is too early for the Christmas tree, 17.89% of women get into the festive spirit early with their trees going up in the penultimate month of the year. This is more than double the percentage of men who put their trees up in November (8.73%).

Who Gets into the Festive Spirit Most? Little or Big Kids?

Christmas trees are an essential festive household item for many of us during that special time of year. But does our age have an impact on how important we perceive Christmas trees to be?

Our survey of 2,002 UK adults found that:

• Older people are less likely to have a tree up at Christmas.
• 1 in 5 (22.17%) of people ages 55+ in the UK don’t have a Christmas tree up in their home during the festive period.
• Those aged 25-34 are the most likely of all age groups to have a Christmas tree up in their home.

Percentage of each age group who say they, or someone in their household, puts a Christmas tree up.

Which City in the UK is Most Festive?

Drum roll please... When it comes to Christmas trees, the most festive city is Liverpool, with 93% of people putting a Christmas tree up! The least festive city is Brighton, where just 77% have a tree up in their households. Come on Brighton, sort out those resting Grinch faces this Christmas!

Fun Christmas Tree Facts & Figures

If that wasn’t enough Christmas tree facts and figures, here are a few fun stats to finish with that you’ll never fir-get! Why not try impressing your family members on Christmas Day by reeling off one of these at the dinner table?

• The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) sells approximately 8 to 10 million Christmas trees per year!
• The average Brit spends an estimated £185 on Christmas decorations each year, according to Hayes Garden World’s recent report.
• Although widely believed to be true, Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s consort) didn’t actually introduce the first Christmas tree in Britain. It was in fact ‘good Queen Charlotte’ (the wife of George III), who put up the first ever English Christmas tree at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor, in December, 1800.

Who knew, eh?!

Summary: Christmas Tree Statistics UK 2022

So now you know! Black is the most popular alternative Christmas tree colour, artificial trees are more popular than real trees and the majority of people in the UK put their trees up during the first week of December. 

Whether you’re an October tree decorator, a last minute Christmas Day-er or a complete Scrooge who hates all things Christmas - there’s no judgement here! Why not check out our collection of naughty and nice Christmas cards to share with your family and friends this year.