It’s Thanksgiving weekend – for many, shopping reigns supreme. But for many, it’s also the traditional time to buy a Christmas tree. Since our son, David, will be home from college, I know we’ll once again go out as a family to hunt down the perfect tree.
Of course, this year, some of you may follow the fad and purchase an upside-down tree. Touted as the ideal solution when floor space is at a premium, many retailers who sell these not-so-inexpensive trees can’t keep them in stock.
But real trees don’t grow upside-down and, if you were to display one on point, I don’t think you’d be able to keep it watered. So, in case you’re not quite ready to turn one of the season’s most enduring traditions on its head, here are some suggestions from the National Christmas Tree Association on choosing and caring for a real tree:
• To make sure a previously cut tree is fresh, slide your thumb and forefinger toward you along one of its branches. If fresh, very few needles should come off. Next, shake the tree. Although it is normal for some interior brown needles to drop, there should not be many green needles falling.
• Keep your new tree in an unheated space, protected from the sun and wind, until you’re ready to set it up and decorate it.
• When it’s time to bring the tree indoors, cut at least a quarter inch off the bottom of the trunk and be sure to put it in a stand that holds at least a gallon of water.
• Speaking of water, make sure you keep the tree stand filled. Once the water level drops below the trunk, it takes just four to six hours for dried sap to seal the bottom of the tree, making it impossible for the trunk to absorb water when the stand is refilled. If a seal does form, the only way to correct it is to, once again, cut off the bottom of the trunk, a process no one would choose to perform on a tree loaded with ornaments.
• Remember that a tree can drink a gallon or more of water in the first 24 hours and at least a quart a day after that. Not only is water important for the tree aesthetically, but it cuts down the risk of a fire as well.
• Don’t forget to keep the tree away from sources of heat, test all light cords and connections before putting them on the tree, and unplug the lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
Did you know that, although most Christmas trees used to come from the forest, now over 98 percent are plantation grown? They generally take from seven to ten years to mature and require annual pruning to turn them into the bushy trees to which we’ve become accustomed.
Although Maine does not make the list of top-tree-producing states, we have close to fifty cut and carry tree farms. And, nationally, there are two to three Christmas tree seedlings planted for every tree harvested.
I hope you enjoy the hunt for your perfect tree this year as well as all the traditions that make it special.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
