Christmas Tree Care: Keep Your Christmas Tree Alive Through Christmas and New Years

Christmas is December 25th but many people put up Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving. I was out shopping the day after Thanksgiving and I saw many people who had Christmas trees strapped to the roofs of their cars. I said to myself "that seems really early to have a Christmas tree up." But did you know that with proper maintenance and care your Christmas Tree can last well into the New Year. Here are some tips for keeping your Christmas Tree alive and having a beautiful and healthy tree for 5 to 6 weeks.d

1. Buying your Christmas tree correctly is one of the most important parts of keeping your Christmas Tree alive for a long time. When you go shopping for your Christmas tree make sure that if you have the ability to buy from a Tree Farm then you do so. When you see that your Christmas Tree is being cut you then know that you are getting the freshest tree possible. You can never really know how long a Christmas Tree has been sitting on a lot waiting to be sold. So if you want your tree to last for weeks then buy the freshest tree possible. Or if you find that you are not near a Tree Farm then try to buy from a tree from a lot where the trees where cut locally. Don't be afraid to ask how long ago the tree was cut. It's your money and you should get the best tree for your dollars.

You can visit http://www.christmas-tree.com/real/ for a list of Christmas Tree Farms in your area.

2. Smell it! Shake It! Grab It! Yes, that's right get up close with your Christmas Tree and expect it good. Make sure that it smells has a fresh smell and smells like a Christmas tree should. Shake it to make sure that the needles are not falling all over the place. And Grab it to make sure that it is firm and also that at the bottom there is enough room for a fresh diagonal cut to be made for then you get it home to put it into water.

3. Once you get your tree home make sure you find a comfortable space for the tree to live. Find a spot in your home where the tree will fit and will not be pressed down by a ceiling. It's even good to measure your ceiling heights before you buy your Christmas Tree so that when you get home your not in for a big surprise.

4. Make a 1.5 inch diagonal cut at the bottom of the Christmas Tree before you put it down into it's water. This fresh diagonal cut a trick often used by florist to help lengthen the life of flowers. Then put your tree down into the water and there need to be about 1 quart of water per inch if the diameter of the tree stem.

5. Make sure that the tree is away from a lot of light and heat sources. So no tree near the fire place and no tree near the heater.

6. Make sure not to overload the tree with light. Keep it simple and use just enough to make it twinkle. The heat from the lights can help to dry the tree out quicker and cause the needles to start falling off sooner then you want them to.

7. MYTH BUSTER: There are several "at home" suggestions that state using 7-Up or asprin to help keep a tree fresh longer. This is a false statement. You do not need 7-Up or anything else but fresh water to help keep your tree healthy and happy.

So use these tips to have a happy and healthy Christmas Tree and not a big miss. Don't feel like you are forced to have a plastic tree. Go Green and get a fresh tree. Happy Holidays!