Artificial, plastic Christmas trees may be cost-saving and convenient, but by our (twinkling, multi-colored) lights, there’s simply no substitute for the real article. There aren’t a lot of other opportunities to bring a full-sized, once-living tree into one’s living room. Real trees look better, smell better, and simply emanate a distinctive energy — incomparable yuletide vibes.
When putting in the effort to pick a real Christmas tree each year, you’ll of course want to ensure that your tannebaum remains as potent and long-lasting as possible. And that begins with picking the right tree. Ask the purveyors of the Christmas tree lot you visit how long ago their trees were cut. You shouldn’t get a tree that was cut any farther back than three weeks prior. Of course, the best way to get a tree with the freshest possible cut is to cut down the tree yourself.
Once you’ve selected your tree, you want to choose a date for bringing it inside for decoration based on the intersection of two factors 1) the desire to enjoy its beauty as long as possible, and 2) the knowledge that the sooner you bring it in, the sooner it will get dry and brittle. We tend to bring in and decorate our tree about 2.5 weeks before Christmas, and leave it up until New Year’s Day. By following this timeframe, as well as the tips outlined above, the tree stays decently intact before the calendar flips to a new year, and the tree drops its needles all over the floor as it’s hauled out the door (hey, no one ever said generating Christmas vibes was a neat and tidy business).
Be sure to check out our article on how to put lights on your Christmas tree without swearing up a storm.
