Edith on Christmas Trees

by Edith Isidoro-Mills -- Every year it seems people are so anxious to get their Christmas decorations up the day right after Thanksgiving.  In some cases, it almost seems like a competition to get their Christmas decorations up faster than their neighbor that they start before Thanksgiving decorating their yards. However, there is one Christmas decoration I hope people will wait to put up and that is the Christmas tree if they want to have a fresh cut tree. One advantage to cut trees over potted live trees is cut trees can be larger because you aren’t worried about how well they will transplant outdoors after Christmas.  Still it’s a good idea to measure the location where you plan to place the tree.  Get a height and diameter. While you are measuring the location note various characteristics of the location such as heat vents, fire place, heaters, electrical appliances, window aspects, and electrical outlets. Even though it may look nice a Christmas tree should not be placed next to an open fire place.  Also avoid any south facing windows, heat registers, or electrical appliances as they put out heat that can dry the tree out faster. If you plan to put lights in the tree locate the tree near an electrical outlet so that you don’t have to run a power chord any great distance or across a traffic pattern in your house.  Use small, pin-point lights for tree decorating because they don’t put out as much heat as strings of lights with larger light bulbs.  Make sure the lights you use have the UL approval label on the package and are protected with an in-line fuse. Once you have surveyed the prospective location for the Christmas tree and determined it safe, it’s time to go shopping.  Usually it’s best not to have the tree in the house form more than two weeks.  Putting off purchasing the tree too soon is the best plan but sometimes the best selection is available earlier rather than later.  If this is the case the tree can be stored outside in a shady location on the north side of your house with the cut end in a bucket of water.  Make sure you cut an inch off the cut end of the tree immediately prior to placing it in the water. The reason for cutting an inch off the bottom end of the tree before placing it in the water is if the end has been out of water for any length of time the vessels in the xylem that carry water to the top of the tree may be plugged up with resin or air pockets. When picking a tree at the Christmas tree lot, check for freshness by rubbing your hand gently on the branches to see if any green needles fall off.   If the needles aren’t flexible or they easily fall off don’t buy the tree.  A few brown needles in the center of the tree is natural and not an indicator of a dried-out tree as long as the green needles are soft and flexible. When it’s time to bring the tree in the house find a tree stand that holds at least one gallon of water.  Make another fresh cut in the cut end of the tree when transferring it to the tree stand.  Fill the stand with water and check the water level daily.  Maintain the water level such that the cut end has continuous contact with water.  The tree should take up most of a gallon of water everyday.  If the water level stops going down daily the tree may have stopped absorbing water and needs to be removed from the house soon.     Sign up to receive updates and the Friday File email notices. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.