Is it just me or does it seem like Christmas decorations are going up earlier every year??? This year, 2010, is the 500th anniversary of people using real-life Christmas Trees! Isn't that just amazing???
Before you choose a live Christmas tree and take it home for the holidays, you need to read important guidelines for these and be willing to follow them completely. Otherwise, the tree will not remain as beautiful as it was when you first saw it. Even worse, it could cause your house to burn to the ground!!!
When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of it's weight is water.
***The best advice for you is to use one of the old-fashioned Christmas tree stands that have a deep reservoir for holding fresh water in it. Before you place the tree into the stand, measure the width of it. It is vitally important that you have the proper amount of water at all times. Have one quart of water per inch in your reservoir. For example, if your tree's trunk is 6" around, you need to place at least 6 quarts of water into the reservoir. By keeping plenty of liquid in the reservoir, your tree should remain pretty and fresh with very little needle loss.
***Keep the tree away from heat such as fireplaces, sunlight, wood-burning stoves, heaters, heat ducts, etc.
***Lower the heat in that particular room for as long as the tree is in place. This will also keep the tree fresher longer.
***It is extremely important that you check the tree's water EVERY DAY!!! The temperature of the water is not important.
***Use low-heat lights such as miniature lights to hang on the tree.
***Irregardless of what type of Christmas Tree you choose for your home, ALWAYS check your strings of lights BEFORE you hang them on the tree!!! If they don't look as good as they did when they were new, toss them out.
***Don't overload your electrical circuits.
***NEVER leave your Christmas Tree lights on when you leave the house of when you go to bed at night.
***After Christmas or when the tree is dry, get it out of your house!!!
***NEVER try to burn your old Christmas Tree in your fireplace or wood stove!!!
Once your tree has done its time, it is best if you look for a tree recycling program near you. To find the nearest location, go to www.realchristmastrees.org . Once there, type in your ZIP code. Some of my viewers live in Canada. For you, go to the same website and click onto the heading for Canada. Unfortunately, the closest place that I can find for recycling trees in Wichita County is within 60 miles of Montezuma, Kansas.
Enjoy your Christmas tree but remember that even with all of it's beauty and fresh pine scent, it can also be deadly if not cared for properly.
VLE-B
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