CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATING IDEAS

Buying a Christmas Tree from a Retail Lot

The retail lots of Christmas trees pop up everywhere almost immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday is through. The process of buying your tree from a retail lot is as follows:

• Measure the area you will be putting your tree before you start traveling to the retail lot. Many times you won’t have the needed tools to trim or cut-down when you get home, so the tree has to fit in at the start.

• There are many types of Christmas trees you can buy: various fir trees, spruce trees and pine trees. Do some research and find out which type you would like to hang your holiday ornaments on. Look for a type that is grown and shipped right from your area, as long travel from out of state can damage the tree.

• The trees at the retail lot should be stored in a shaded location, but the actual lot should be well-lit for viewing.

• Ask the retail lot employee or owner about tree shipments. A tree purchased soon after it has arrived is normally newly cut, so quite fresh.

• You can look for tree freshness by testing the tree’s needles. On most Christmas tree varieties, the needles will snap in half if you bend them quickly. Some say it feels and looks similar to a fresh carrot snapping. However, with pines, the needles should not break in half at all! They only snap in half when excessively dry.

• Always look for clues which will tell you if the tree is dry and dying. You will see things like a great deal of needles around the tree on the ground, brown or faded green foliage, a musty odor, and bark the may be wrinkled. Don’t pick a tree if you have any doubts about its freshness. If all the trees on a particular lot have these characteristics, it will be to your benefit to seek another retail lot.

• There are some types of trees that do better in certain climates. Trees in their optimal climate will be fresher and last longer. When researching the type of tree you would like, make sure the one you choose does well in your area.