How to Choose and Care for a Real Christmas Tree

For many families, Christmas wouldn't be the same without a "real" Christmas tree. Many great memories can be made by taking the family out to select the tree. The fragrance of a real tree alone is enough to convince many people to go this route versus buying an artificial tree. If you decide that a real tree is right for you, there are steps you need to take to properly select your tree and to care for it once you bring it home.

You can go to a tree farm to select your Christmas tree, or practically every grocery store and local shopping center will also have a tree lot. Obviously, choosing and cutting a tree from a farm will be a fresher tree, but is not a convenient option for everyone. You can go to christmastree.org if you need help finding a tree farm.

When choosing a tree, make sure the tree has not already begun to dry out. Check for brittle needles and too many brown needles as this is the main indicator of dryness. Run your hand through the tree or shake the tree if possible and see if many needles fall off. If they do, you will want to select another tree that is fresher. Also, make sure that there are no cocoons or bugs in the tree or you will be in for a not-so-nice Christmas surprise!

Once you bring the tree home, cut 1/2 inch to an inch of off the tree trunk. This is extremely important as it is the only way your Christmas tree will be able to absorb water. Make sure to use the proper type and size of tree stand, made specifically for real or live trees. If you aren't able to bring your tree inside right away, store it in a cool outdoor place, such as a garage in a bucket of water.

Make sure to water you tree as soon as you get it home, real or live Christmas trees dry out very quickly. It is important to check the water level of your tree and water it every day. If a tree does dry out, after 6 hours it won't be able to absorb water anymore and you will have to re-cut the trunk of the tree. You definitely don't want to do that once your tree has been decorated.

There are also some important safety precautions to take with your tree, many are obvious, but are still important enough to mention. First, make sure that your tree isn't near heating vents, radiators, stoves, fireplaces, etc. Also, try to set it up in the coolest part of the room if possible.

Check your Christmas lights before stringing them on the tree. If the lights are faulty, it is a potential fire hazard. Also, use miniature lights as they are a lower voltage and therefore less of a fire hazard. Also, don't overload extension cords or outlets, this is unsafe to do under any circumstance, but even riskier with a drying Christmas tree.

Turn off your lights when you are not at home and before going to bed. Again, even a well-watered tree is a drying tree and you don't want it to be exposed to heat, even from small lights all the time.

Once the holidays are over, consider recycling your tree instead of throwing it to the curb. Many counties have recycling programs that don't require much extra work and is a great way to teach your kids about recycling. It is easy to find out how to recycle your tree in your state or city. Do a google search for "recycle Christmas tree" and your state and your options will be there. It's much easier than even I thought it would be.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you if you are a novice at real Christmas trees. I want you and yours to have a safe Holiday season.

Sources

www.http://thegardenhelper.com/Christmas.html