ResearchGetting a Real Christmas Tree
For the longest time, we stuck with artificial Christmas trees. Every year take out the box, set it up, stick the branches into the color-coded holes... it was practical and economical, but one year we just got tired of it and started getting real trees. We can't imagine now how it ever felt like Christmas without one. The smell is heavenly, it looks better, and you know it's the Holiday season when you're carrying the tree home through the snow.
You can't go far without bumping into a lot set up selling Christmas trees during December, but I always get mine from a charity outfit like the local Boy Scouts. The trees just seem to be fresher and better taken care of, and the prices are lower. The best time to get one is two weeks before Christmas. If you leave the tree up until after New Year's, that's a total of three weeks and leaving it longer risks it drying out and becoming a fire hazard.
Pick a tree pleasing in shape and no taller than the tallest member of your household, since that's who will probably get the honor of decorating it. Try to avoid a tree with bare spots in the branches or branches turning brown already. Remember that if you just can't find the perfect shape, you can always trim it to shape some with the pruning shears at home.
Either have the lot attendant cut a half-inch disk off the bottom of the trunk, or do so when you get home. The bottom of the trunk will tend to be capped, and you want the tree to drink freely after you have it in the stand. Freshening the cut will ensure that the sap can flow and replenish itself from the water and the tree will stay fresh and have a better aroma, too.
After inserting the tree in the stand, fill the stand nearly to the brim with warm water. You don't want it boiling hot; make it like warm bath water. This will loosen the sap and help the water penetrate those first few inches of the trunk. Thereafter, refill with cold water every day. You'd be surprised how fast it disappears - a six foot pine can go through about two gallons of water in three weeks.
Take small children and pets into consideration. You might want to trim off the bottom row of branches, both to make space for presents and to keep them out of pet's and toddler's way. You also might want to keep only non-breakable ornaments on these lower branches, as I've yet to see the playful cat or curious two-year-old child who could resist playing with the shiny ornaments. Remember that pine needles are sharp. If at all possible, set the tree up where there's no carpet or rug. This will make the difference between easily sweeping the loose needles up after the tree is down, and having the sharp pointy devils in the carpet for you to step on in your bare feet at two AM.
Remember that pine sap is highly flammable, and so is a pine tree! Keep the tree fresh and moist, make sure a working smoke detector is in the room at all times, keep it away from curtains where a fire can spread. Never use lit candles to decorate a live tree. And when you're done with it, take it outside.
And enjoy the Season!