As the emblem of the entire holiday season, Christmas trees evoke warm feelings in many people who love the time of year. Happy family get-togethers combined with generous gift giving and catching up with relatives about the previous year’s events can make people wish it was Christmas all year.
In most English-speaking countries, there are no shortages of places to buy Christmas trees when the season rolls around. Miniature farms full of trees pop up in parking lots all over the cities sometime around Thanksgiving. Bigger lots generally have more variety, but they may also command bigger prices. Shop around, for the perfect tree.
Occasionally, the trees on a pre-cut lot are actually the tops of big trees that were removed and are now being sold as Christmas trees. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, if it weren’t for the fact that a lot of these ‘trees’ have giant trunks that won’t fit in conventional tree stands. So, check to make sure yours will.
Another places to get a tree is a tree farm. This isn’t an option for some people, but there are often multiple locations within an hour’s drive of any major city if you know where to look. These tree farms do most of their business around the Christmas season, when people come in and buy trees, and then spend the rest of the year growing the next holiday season’s greenery.
Wherever you buy it, pick a tree that is green all over. A few dead needles are sometimes unavoidable, but any tree with large dead spots is likely already ill or dying. If you’re at a farm, remember that the tree will lose at least six inches when you cut it down. And you don’t have to cut it at the bottom, if you like a tree otherwise, but think it’s too tall.
At home, put your new Christmas trees in water as quickly as possible. There is no real value to commercial additives or sugar, so you don’t need to bother with them. If you can’t put your tree in water right away, trim the end of the trunk before you do, so that it can absorb the liquid. Decorate your tree, and enjoy.
When you are planning ahead to the holiday season, the Xmas decorations help you to get into the spirit. You can choose traditional trees or modern colored Christmas trees for a different theme.