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There is no denying the magic the easy train of placing up a Christmas tree can convey to your property. There’s one thing concerning the twinkling lights, the colourful baubles, and the recent evergreen scent wafting by way of your property. Possibly it is nostalgia; possibly it is the promise of comfortable instances shared with family members. No matter it’s, it simply spells happiness.

It is no shock that the ritual appears to get moved up with each passing yr. However specialists say it is essential to not soar the gun. “Whereas having a tree in your house for a very long time is satisfying, there is a restrict to how lengthy you possibly can maintain a tree,” says Tim O’Connor, govt director of the Nationwide Christmas Tree Affiliation. Your finest wager: Wait till after Thanksgiving. If you happen to wait till after the massive feast, you’ve got a significantly better probability of your tree surviving by way of the Christmas season, says O’Connor.

Associated: The best way to Replant Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays

Timeline is not the one essential consideration, although. When selecting a tree, contact and look at it earlier than you determine it is “the one.” “If it is dry and brittle and needles are falling off left and proper, you do not need that tree,” says O’Connor. “The branches needs to be pliable and comfortable.”

As soon as you’ve got settled on a tree, be certain that to have about an inch reduce off the stump earlier than you allow the tree lot or the farm. That is the one most essential factor you are able to do to make sure your tree survives, as a result of it opens the veins on the underside of the tree, permitting the plant to adequately absorb water, explains O’Connor. Once you get the tree house, you need to get it in water inside a number of hours—even when only a bucket exterior till you are able to erect the tree, says O’Connor. If you cannot get it water inside that time-frame, make one other recent reduce earlier than establishing your fir. Over the course of the primary seven to 10 days, the tree will absorb numerous water, he explains. To maintain it wholesome, examine the water stage steadily, including extra as essential.

And bear in mind: Christmas bushes are like flowers—there’s solely so lengthy they will final, even below the right care. You may know your tree has reached the tip of its usable life when it begins to dry out, stiffen, and drop needles.