The higher the number of tips, the more bushy and realistic an artificial tree is likely to be. As a rough guage, the best artificial Christmas trees will generally offer 2000+ branch tips on a 6 foot tree. However, more branch tips does generally also mean more expense. Budget Lampreia de natal, a dessert made almost entirely of egg yolks and shaped like a lamprey fish, sometimes makes an appearance.

Netflixhas a decent selection of films, and more than enough to keep the family entertained for a day or two.BBC iPlayer doesn’t work abroad, and neither does 4Od. If you were relying on either of them, sign up with Netflix instead. Weather in Portugal during Christmas

Stitch Street

It’s a chance to show your human side. Encouraging employees to decorate their workspace for the festive season shows your organisation’s human side. It shows you care about your staff’s wellbeing, morale and happiness at work. We recommend that your tree should be at least 20cm shorter than the ceiling, to allow for a Christmas tree topper,” says Dani Taylor, product and creative director at Cox & Cox. “A tight squeeze always looks a little ill-thought-out.” Balsam Hill CEO Mac Harman adds that a 7ft 5in tree is best for a standard 8-9ft ceiling. Braga has a very unique Christmas tradition where every year, on December 24th, people from all over the city come together to eat bananas and drink Muscatel at Casa das Bananas on Rua do Souto. In some parts of Portugal, it even snows. Yes, it’s possible to have a white Christmas in Portugal is you head towards the Serra da Estrela. You can even go skiing! The end of Christmas Christmas dinner, or Consoada, takes place on the eve of the 24 th. Portugal’s national dish, bacalhau, is probably the most traditional option for Christmas dinner, although octopus is also common in the North of Portugal and in the Algarve.

Make some crocheted Christmas ornaments for your tree. There are other cute ornaments on this blog for you to make. More Fun Free Amigurumi Crochet Christmas Patterns If you’re coming to Portugal for Christmas you may want to cook a Christmas meal that’s traditional to your own country. Although it hasn’t always been this way, it’s now very easy to get a lot of ingredients from overseas in Portugal. In the AlgarveThere are more than 365 different recipes for bacalhau, and this isn’t the most popular bacalhau recipe. Made up of cabbage, boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, and bacalhau, it is very basic and non-indulgent, particularly when compared to Bacalhau com Natas – although the gallons of olive oil added usually jazz it up a little. For a long time, the main place to go for a Christmas market wasÓbidos which hosts a Christmas village every year. In recent years, however, more and more towns and cities across Portugal are putting up Christmas markets.In Lisbon, in particular, there are small Christmas markets throughout the city as well as a big one inEduardo VII. Most families go to midnight mass ( Missa do Galo), although some churches have masses that take place a little earlier. A big part of midnight mass is kissing the baby Jesus, and everyone in the congregation will queue up to do so.

The shop owner’s son really liked this story and, the next year, he brought his friends to the shop to eat bananas and drink muscatel. For whatever reason, word spread around Braga that this was the thing to do and it wasn’t long before it became a Christmas tradition. In some parts of Portugal, for example in Bragança, Guarda, or Castelo Branco, it’s not uncommon for there to be a large communal fire in the church car park. It gives everyone in the community a chance to gather around and wish each other a “ Feliz Natal” (Merry Christmas).

It’s also likely that many of the restaurants inside hotels will be open as well. Christmas Shopping in Portugal PE allows tree makers to mould the needles for better realism,” Mac Harman says. “PE trees generally have the best quality, colour and shape of any type of artificial tree.” Which are the best artificial Christmas trees? As it’s Christmas, it’s a good excuse to splash out on a vintage bottle (or two) of Port. You’ll find these in every Portuguese supermarket orgarrafeira (off licence), and they’re actually very affordable.Alternatively, a Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) tastes a lot like a Vintage Port but is much cheaper.

If you’re visiting Portugal for Christmas and don’t want to cook Christmas lunch, it may be possible to go out for it. In the more touristy parts of the Algarve, some restaurants and pubs will be open. Some of these will be Portuguese restaurants, and some will be British-style restaurants. Mac Harman, founder and CEO of luxury artificial tree and decoration brand, Balsam Hill, offers the following advice for choosing your tree size, 'Before buying a Christmas tree, decide where it will be displayed. Which room will it be displayed in? Will it be a centrepiece? Or will it fit into a corner, along a wall, in front of a window, or next to a doorway? How much space can the tree fill? Look for a tree that is six inches lower than the ceiling height. A 7.5’ tree is best for a standard 8-9' ceiling. This ensures that the tip of the Christmas tree does not hug the ceiling and allows space for a tree topper'.You would need to use an artificial Christmas tree for 10 years for it to be more environmentally friendly than a real Christmas tree. This is because of metal, plastic, energy and water used in its manufacture and export (usually from China). A real Christmas tree removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while it’s growing and usually has less far to travel. It causes one tenth of the damage to the environment that an artificial Christmas tree does – unless it is being imported from overseas, in which case the transport emissions have to be taken into account. As the lights are already evenly distributed throughout the whole tree, opting for a pre-lit tree will save you the job of fiddling about and potentially getting in a tangle over the perfect arrangement, plus you don't have to guess just how long a string of fairy lights you need to buy, or have unsightly wires showing through the branches in the daylight. If you prefer to add your own lights then Balsam Hill's Mac has the following top tip for getting the illuminations right, 'Lights bring your Christmas tree to life even without decorations.If you prefer to string your own lights,you needat least 100 lights per foot of the tree.Double or triple the amount if you love the look of brighter, more intense lights on your tree'. If you’re heading to the Algarve during December, you can usually expect good weather – especially by Northern European standards. Although it can rain, and it can be windy, it’s generally sunny most of the time. The tree is simple to set up - it comes in three sections, which slot together and then into the metal stand provided; the branches are hinged and need to be pulled down into place. Despite the fullness of the design, it is much less heavy than the Balsam Hill, coming in at 14.4kg. It comes unlit, ready for your own lights and Christmas decorations. Billings-Cray recommends “warm colour palettes of copper, orange and traditional red”.