This is the time of year when families are divided into two groups: live tree or artificial. While both are very beautiful and add holiday cheer and warmth to the home, one requires some maintenance.
Having a live tree in the home can add some wonderful smells from the needles that bring back memories for many people.
The tradition of getting a permit and picking out a tree together as a family is one that many families all over the Country share. There’s nothing quite like tromping around in the mountains to find that perfect holiday tree.
But, once you get your chosen one home, it is very important to make sure that you care for it properly. A live tree can be a fire hazard if it gets too dry. In fact, stringing lights onto a live tree with dry branches and needles is almost surely going to lead to a fire in your home.
Make sure to follow these tips for keeping your live Christmas tree healthy and proud:
- While you are shopping for your tree, make sure to check the condition that it is in. Do this by giving it a little shake, brush your hand up against the side of it, wiggle the branches. As you are going all of this, look to see if any needles are falling to the ground. If the needles on your tree fall off easily, then skip that particular tree. That is a sign that the tree is dry and probably can’t be brought back.
- Watering your tree is essential to keeping it healthy and strong. There are many systems that you can purchase now to make watering your tree easy and mess-free. These are good things to invest in so that maintaining your tree is not a bother or a nuisance. Count on giving your tree at least one-gallon of water in the first 24 hours of having it in your home.
- Once you have your tree inside, keep it away from fireplaces, heating ducts, and electric heaters. All of these items will cause your tree to dry out and become brittle much faster. If you start to notice that there are a lot of needles on the ground all around your tree, that is a sign that it is getting to dry.
Keeping your live Christmas tree fresh and healthy until after the holidays is a big job, and a very important one. Make sure to follow these tips so that your tree is a point of beauty in the home and not a worry.
