The problems of displaying a large fresh tree in your home are mostly overblown. Once you have cared for a fresh Christmas tree you may never want to go back to an artificial tree again. Lots people have turned from using live Christmas trees to artificial ones in recent holiday seasons but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a place for cut trees these days. Below are some guidelines to get you going:
Preparing for your fresh cut Christmas tree: It is important to be smart when choosing the size of a cut tree by measuring the area you are going to use. You may want to protect the flooring in the area where you are going to set up your cut pine because there may be a lot of people traffic, liquid spills or heavy things being pushed around. A cut Christmas tree is fairly heavy so you might want to plan out a way to secure it to a banister or wall just to be safe. You almost certainly will need an outlet close by for lights.
Giving it water: To assist with water absorption, you should use a hacksaw or chainsaw to cut an inch or so off the trunk before setting it in the stand. If you don’t want to worry about forgetting to add water, you may want to look into one of the many automatic Christmas tree watering products. The quantity of water you will need to give it will be determined by how large it is and the humidity in the room. Hot and dry homes will probably mean more regular watering trips, while colder homes may require a little less watering sessions.
Decorating and disposal: Putting decorations on a cut tree is no different than with an artificial one, but being safe should always be a main concern. Again, be certain your heavy tree can’t fall or be knocked over very easily. Most electrical Christmas lights are perfectly safe, but light-emitting-diode or LED Christmas decorations run cooler than normal lights and cost less to operate. Of course, you need to be safe with electric decorations by always turning them off when you leave your home and by not overloading all the outlets you have.
Even if you have been using an artificial tree for all your life you owe it to your family to try a fresh pine at least once. Yes, they can be more work than the fake ones, fresh Christmas trees can add a unique feeling to the Yuletide season. A fresh Christmas tree can truly make a big difference in your holiday season.
Having friends over for the holidays and want some home decorating and improvement help? We have hundreds of regularly updated projects with photographs and detailed explanations available for free!

