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World's oldest Christmas tree?

A Christmas Tree bought in 1886 and standing just 14 inches tall will be part of one Bath families Christmas decorations for another year.

Authenticated by Christies auction house in London and the Guinness Book of Records, the green raffia tree has been in the Family for 3 generations and is acknowledged as the oldest Christmas tree in the world.

(as reported in the Daily Mail).

Why the road grit didn't clear the snow.

An interesting little snippet I heard on the Buxton local radio news, in response to motorists criticisms that the road gritting wasn't clearing snow and ice accumulations laying in the roads and verges, during the last heavy snowfall.

According to the local highways council spokesman, road salt/grit will only 'melt' snow and ice accumulations on the road where temperatures are less than minus 8 degrees. Any lower, and the salt has no effect.

The only thing that would have a direct effect on the frozen snow accumulations was direct warm sunshine, but don't go breaking out the sun cream just yet.

Real or Faux Christmas tree?

We took a quick straw poll in our office to see which type of tree was favoured the most - the result revealed a 50/50 split between fake and real Christmas trees, with opinions on the merits of both.

Fake trees don't require any maintenance (aside from a slight re-bending of a branch), don't drop any needles and never need watering (so they're safer around electrics).

Real trees look stunning, but require a daily watering and an occasional pick up of dropped needles (depending on which type of tree you buy). Perhaps you dig the same one up each year and bring it indoors? In the extreme cold weather we've been experiencing, it can be a bit of a shock for them. Don't forget to let it acclimatise in a garage or shed before planting it back outside in the New Year.

Apparently you can now rent a Christmas tree and in some cases, reserve the same one for subsequent years. Your tree is delivered and collected by the rental company. Perhaps worth bearing in mind for next year?

Happy Holidays from the team at ">Home Improvement Quotes. Although we may be spending time with our own families, our online instant quote websites are live and at your disposal throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, to help you plan your next home improvement