Love you FIR ever! Valentine’s Day trees are all the rage in the US – and as the trend catches on in the UK, five women explain why they’re feeling the love for their romantic decorations
- There is a growing trend of transforming festive trees into a Valentine’s theme
- Sarah Allsop, of Manchester, has repurposed her pink tree for her boyfriend
- Samantha Fitzsimmon splashed out £2,000 on champagne glass decorations
- She said the tree ‘keeps the romance alive’ instead of a romantic weekend away
- Hanna Kinsella’s partner said it was ‘girly nonsense’ but now thinks he ‘secretly likes it’
While it may seem the festive period begins ever earlier, one rule has always remained sacrosanct: once the 12 days of Christmas are over, it’s time the decorations came down.
Yet for those looking for a new season to celebrate, step forward the Valentine’s Tree. Already a big trend in the U.S, online mood board Pinterest UK has reported an 87 per cent increase in searches for Valentine’s tree inspiration.
Romantic or ridiculous? Here, five women tell Sadie Nicholas why they’re feeling the love for their own Valentine’s trees this year…
I can’t wait to see my boyfriend’s face!
Sarah Allsop, 44, is creative manager director of a party supplies company (partydelights.co.uk) and lives in Manchester. She says:
Since spotting this trend on social media, I’ve been on a mission to repurpose my fabulous candy pink Christmas tree as a surprise for my boyfriend, Johnny.
We both adore cooking and are planning a romantic meal at my house on Valentine’s Day. Little does he know that I’ve transformed my dining room into a romantic haven with a garland of balloons shaped around the fireplace, paper pom poms and honeycomb balls.
Sarah Allsop (pictured), 44, has repurposed her fabulous candy pink Christmas tree as a surprise for her boyfriend, Johnny. She has added love hearts to the pink tree in time for Valentine’s Day and admitted her determination to keep the tree up all year with a different theme for each season
The centrepiece is my tree, which I bought in December. I decorated it with red and pink baubles at Christmas and have been able to reuse many of them to keep the cost down, adding love hearts to go with the Valentine’s theme, so I’ve spent less than £100 overall.
Johnny runs his own company in the industrial sector and isn’t creative at all, so is always wowed by the way I decorate at home for parties. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees my latest offering — I reckon he’ll think it’s bonkers but also very ‘me’ and (hopefully!) very romantic.
I want as many people as possible to see the decorations, so I’ve invited my girlfriends over for a separate Valentine’s meal. None of them think I’m crackers — they know to expect this sort of frivolity from me because I love to push the boundaries with celebrations.
I love my pink tree so much I’m determined to keep it up all year, with a different theme for each season.
Cupid’s magic touch for our first ever valentine’s at home
Lanassir Lawes, 42, is an interior designer and lives in Norfolk with her partner Andrew, 44, a finance director. She says:
Days after we finally got around to putting our two faux Christmas trees back in the loft, I had an irresistible urge to get one of them down again.
It’s now in the dining room bedecked with playing cards from the suit of hearts, plus red heart trinkets and pretty little envelopes that I sourced online — each one bearing words about love. The colours really pop against the tree’s black and charcoal branches.
A faux fir tree has become the centerpiece of Lanassir Lawes (pictured) living room. The 42-year-old has bedecked the tree with playing cards from the suit of hearts, plus red heart trinkets and pretty little envelopes
I’ve used similar decorations to trim the chandelier that hangs from the vaulted ceiling of our barn conversion above the 12-seat dining table, as well as a large branch cut from an oak tree in our garden that’s suspended from the minstrel’s gallery and bunting that spells out ‘love’.
On the table is a display of gorgeous red tulips, white branches and long stems of pussy willow for added romantic drama. And handily, as the tree is the centrepiece, I’ve spent less than £50 on new decorations.
Andrew took my request to get the tree down again better than I expected, and even whipped the scaffolding out to help me decorate. We only moved in together last Easter so it’s our first Valentine’s day under the same roof, hence a shared excitement and my desire to make the house feel special.
With all the high ceilings and large rooms, the barn can feel a little empty, especially after Christmas. But now it’s full of Cupid’s magic.
I’m renowned for trimming the interiors according to the season, but when March arrives I’ll put the tree away again till December — I promise!
We spent £2,000 on 750 baubles and balloons to keep the romance alive
Samantha Fitzsimmon, 29, owns a beauty salon and fashion brand and lives near Liverpool with her partner and their two-year-old son, Parker. She says:
Other couples might spend thousands on a romantic weekend away for Valentine’s, but with a toddler and a lack of babysitters we can’t.
Instead, I splashed out £2,000 to have a professionally decorated Valentine’s tree.
Breathtaking: Samantha Fitzsimmon (pictured), 29, splashed out £2,000 for a professionally decorated Valentine’s tree. The Christmas Decorators hung candles in crystal holders, balloons and ‘floating’ roses for a truly sophisticated look at the beauty salon owner’s home near Liverpool
It’s a 7.5ft green faux fir, bedecked with 750 decorations including champagne glasses and a pair of my own red Louboutin stilettos. It’s the first thing visitors see in our hallway and it’s quite a talking point. Most gasp in delight before agreeing it’s bonkers but very beautiful.
Our dining room also resembles a romantic boudoir, with 60 fresh red roses on the table, candles in crystal holders, balloons and ‘floating’ roses hanging from the ceiling. Plus, there are rose petals scattered everywhere, which my son loves throwing around like confetti. He stands and gazes at the tree, mesmerised, and tries to grab the decorations!
Two years ago, my partner said that my attempt at decorating our Christmas tree was ‘awful’, so last December I hired The Christmas Decorators to do it for me. I always feel sad when the house is bare after Christmas, so when they mentioned that they were also getting inquiries about Valentine’s trees, it seemed like the perfect antidote.
Plus, as exhausted parents it’s important to keep the romance alive. We’re even throwing a Valentine’s party for friends and their young children.
After this, there won’t be any more trees till Christmas. But I’m already planning to hire the professionals to decorate our garden for Easter!
My flower ‘wall’ of 3,000 roses
Hanna Kinsella, 31, is a dentist, and lives in Cheshire with her husband Martin, 38, a cosmetic doctor. She says:
What better way to celebrate our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple than to have an 8 ft Valentine’s tree in our living room?
It’s a faux fir and adorned with sparkling crystal hearts, fresh flowers and eucalyptus. We also have a spectacular flower wall made up with 3,000 silk red roses.
Hanna Kinsella (pictured), 31, is celebrating her first Valentine’s as a married couple with her husband Martin by adding an 8ft tree to their Cheshire living room. The faux fir tree is adorned with sparkling crystal hearts, fresh flowers and eucalyptus. It sits in front of a flower wall made up with 3,000 silk red roses
I got the idea from Instagram, where I follow various American influencers who posted pictures of their Christmas trees redecorated for Valentine’s. Who doesn’t want a splash of romance and fun when it’s so gloomy outdoors?
A friend suggested I contact Adele Gregson at The Christmas Decorators. I gave them a budget of £1,500. I know that sounds extravagant but other couples spend the same on a weekend away.
Initially, Martin rolled his eyes and thought it was girly nonsense, especially as the most we usually do is buy each other a card. But now I think he secretly likes it.
We’re leaving the tree up all year
Heather James, 42, is a school learning mentor, and lives in Derbyshire with her husband Mark, 43, and two sons aged eight and 12. She says:
After a tough year in which Mark was made redundant and two family members became ill, I decided to keep our Christmas tree up for all of 2020, and redecorate it for the different seasons.
‘Fallen in love with the idea’: Heather James (pictured), 42, decided to keep the family’s Christmas tree up for the whole of 2020 after facing a tough year in which her husband Mark was made redundant and two family members became ill. The school learning mentor said her sons ‘had the biggest smiles I’d seen on their faces in ages’ as she retrieved the tree from the loft and put it up in mid-January
In early December my son said: ‘Mummy, I’m fed up of everything going wrong, I wish it could be Christmas because everyone’s happy then.’ Within minutes I was in the loft getting the tree down. My sons had the biggest smiles I’d seen on their faces for ages. Why take down something that makes us so joyous?
In mid-January, I attached dozens of wooden love hearts and bows — Cupid might even leave a few gifts under the tree!
At first my family thought I was crazy, but now everybody has fallen in love with the idea.
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