I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Joey and I sure did. We visited our friends in Corvallis, Oregon and stuffed our faces silly! It was great; however, now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time for some Christmas cheer. To kick things off, I have a guest post from my Grandma, Marge Holland. She is an incredible lady and is a terrific author. She has offered to share her tips about selecting the perfect Christmas tree. I hope you enjoy!
Christmas will soon be here and selecting your tree can be a major decision. Before you buy, decide on where you will place the tree in your home. Measure the height and width of the available space, and then buy accordingly.
1. Purchase your tree early while the selection is good.
2. A fresh tree will have a healthy green appearance with a strong fragrance. But remember bright green foliage does not ensure freshness, for almost all pre-cut Christmas trees are sprayed with green colorant to enhance their natural color.
3. When selecting a pre-cut tree take a branch between your thumb and forefinger 6 to 8 inches in on the branch and gently rub your hand out toward the branch tip. The needles should be flexible and not fall off.
4. Bend the needles to see if they spring back. Needles that break indicate the tree is not fresh.
5. Another test is to lift the tree a few inches off the ground and strike the butt on the ground. Only a few needles should fall off.
6. Make sure the base is long and straight enough to allow the trunk to fit into the tree stand or some of the lower branches will need to be cut off. This will change the tree’s original appearance.
7. After your purchase, store your tree in a cool, protected area, preferably outdoors out of the sunlight. Keep the butt in a pail of water until you are ready to bring it inside to decorate.
8. Before putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it, saw about one-half inch off the butt of the tree stem straight across (not at an angle).to remove the sticky clotted resins that prevent the tree from absorbing water.
9. Be sure your tree stand holds plenty of water and add water often to keep the stand filled. A fresh Christmas tree may absorb a gallon or more of water daily.
10. After the holidays, even after it has been taken down, a Christmas tree’s usefulness can still continue. The discarded tree can be erected in the yard adorned as a winter bird feeder, the trunk can be sawn into firewood and the boughs stripped and used as mulch.
If you are allergic to live trees or just aren’t a fan of the fresh tree smell, you can always just get an artificial tree like Joey and I did. Here are some photos of our tree decorating party!
