Christmas Trees: A Guide to Finding the Perfect Tree

The Christmas tree is a deep- rooted symbol of Christmas. Christmas time is all about traditions and memories, and symmetric beautifully decorated trees. When selecting the perfect tree for you there is a few simple steps to take in order to ensure you choose a long lasting fresh tree that will withstand the multitude of dazzling decorations.

Picking the best Christmas tree:

The best time to shop for that perfect tree is traditionally the weekend after thanksgiving. However you should really shop for a Christmas tree earlier as it will pay off with less competition for higher quality Christmas trees and ensure you get the exact one you want - You should consider mid-November the time to plan and buy your Christmas tree.

Christmas tree growers offer a great selection of Christmas tree species with excellent aromatic varieties that retain their needles through the entire season. Alternatively you can shop for your Christmas tree online with ease. Over 300,000 people shop this way every year, saving them valuable present shopping time plus you will avoid the dreaded Christmas cold and overcrowded hoards of people also searching for their Christmas tree.

When selecting a Christmas tree the first thing you need to decide is real or fake? If it’s no nonsense, no mess and total simplicity you’re looking for then an artificial tree would be just what you’re looking for, however if you prefer the real thing you should opt for a real Christmas tree. When selecting a real tree the first thing you should do is a freshness test, which you can do by gently grasping a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it towards you. Few needles should come off into your hand if the tree is fresh, so you know that this tree will last through the festive season.

The second thing to look for when choosing your real Christmas tree is looking for an excess of green needles. If you glance around the ground where the tree is rooted you should not see an excessive amount of green needles, although some loss of brown needles is completely normal. If you see a large number of fallen needles it is likely this tree isn’t in the best condition and will make a mess in your home if it is losing so many needles - Christmas brings enough hard work without the added stress of clearing up after a tree all the time.

Once you've chosen your tree, keep it in a bucket of water in a sheltered, unheated area such as a porch or garage to protect it from the wind and sun until you're ready to decorate it. As long as it stays in enough water and is sheltered it should be fine to keep it like this for sometime before starting the ritual of decorating the tree with a number of garish decorations.

Caring for your Christmas tree:

Caring for your real tree is easy, remember just like us trees also need water to survive. This is the most important task in caring for your tree- so never let your tree go without. It is important to remember that a tree will absorb more than a gallon of water in the first 24 hours and around ¼ of a gallon everyday thereafter. Water is important because it prevents the needles from drying and from drooping.

In a recent poll the top three Christmas tree types were the Fraser Fir with 33%, the Douglas Fir with 24% and the Balsam Fir with 13%. The Fraser Fir is the obvious choice with its abundance of branches with a crown that is a pyramid with horizontal branches - making it the perfect shape to cover with Christmas decorations.

Following simple steps like remembering to turn your Christmas tress lights off before going to bed or leaving the house as well as keeping pets and young children away from your tree you will be helping to preserve the unique beauty and tradition a Christmas tree can provide.