Help me with my first real tree! new question at bottom

I have never had a real tree before. DH has, but I KNOW FOR A FACT once we get it he is not going to know what to do since his parents always took care of it besides the fun picking it out and decorating it LOL

SO any hints, tips, tricks?

I would like for it to last until at least Little Christmas and we are getting it next week.

I heard you have to let it "settle" before decorating it - for how long?

I can't believe that I am not going to have to put together a tree this year! LOL

Message edited 12/8/2008 10:23:31 AM.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

I don;t know what the "prper" instructions are, but heres what we do:

We bring it home, set it up the back yar and always cut the bottom again so its a fresh cut without any sap. how much we cut off is depending on how tall it is and it we need it to be shorter. then we cut some branches off the bottom, if need be, so it fits in the stand. DH drills a few holes on the sides on the bear trunk, not very far in, i think this is to help it absorb water. I use the cut branches on the mantel. then we put it in the stand and usually leave it outside overnight. we also put asprin in the water. I don't know where I heard that it helps, and I don't know if it actually does, but I do it

I think thats all we do before bringing it inside.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

OK-first, you need a stand.

Some tree places sell them & will actually put it on the tree before they put it on your car, otherwise you can get one in msot stores that sell Christmas decorations.

We usually put a plastic garbage bag cut down the seam, down on our wood floor & put the stand over it before we go get the tree.

Have the people selling the tree cut of any branches at the bottom that would get in the way of the stand. they will also cut away a little of the bottom, to give it a fresh cut ( like trimming rose stems)

My FIL swears that having them make a vertical cut also helps the tree suck up more water. We usually also have a saw handy at home, in case it doesn't fit right in the stand or is scraping the ceiling.

Have them put it on your car. They know how to tie it so it doesn't fall & they have twine there.

It is customary to tip them for doing so. (We do $5 usually)

We wrap the tree in a blanket to carry it in to avoid getting needles everwhere when we bring it in.

One of you should hold the tree straight while the other tightens the stand, and then stand back & make sure it is even.

Water it, you can add stuff they sell at the tree place to prolong the life if you want. (There are various home remedies for this too, sugar, asprin, Sprite--depending on who you ask)

Let it open for a day before you decorate.

Water a lot in the beginning. Probably twice a day for the first 2 days. They suck up a lot of water when they have a fresh cut & are being transitioned to a warmer/ dryer environment.
Check the water daily after that.

If you want to be super-nuts you can put a cool mist humidifier on next to the tree, like my MIL does.

Message edited 12/5/2008 1:48:14 PM.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

Wow, thanks to you both for the detailed instructions!! Super helpful!

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

WHen we bring ours home we cut off about an inch off the bottom and drill about 3 holes 1 1/2" into the sides about 2 inches from teh base and loosley pack some cotton into it which will help to "wick" the water into the tree.

We cut out tree FRESH every year and take it down mid to late january after the epiphany and our tree is still healthy.

1 year I kept it up until Valentine's day and decorated it with hearts. I hate getting rid of it when its still alive and fresh

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

This isn't really preparation, but we actually have a nice tradition that started with my DH's family.

Every year, we take the bottom of the stump that was cut off (usually a couple of inches) and we burn the last 2 digits of the year into it. The stumps are displayed each year.

It's fun because sometimes you can remember things based on the stump, i.e. DH's birthday is a couple of days before Christmas and his parent's stump for that stump is a really puny one because his parent's bought it like the day before Christmas.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

When you get it, have the place you get it from cut off several inches from the bottom of the trunk (you can do this as well when you get it home). Then, stick it in a bucket of water in your garage or elsewhere for at least a few days so it will be well hydrated (this will keep the needles from falling off, and it getting too dry). Be forewarned, the tree will be incredibly thirsty, so you need to make sure that you keep water in the stand every day. The moment you stop watering it, is the same moment the needles begin to drop.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

I've bever heard of drilling holes in the sides of the trunk before. If I actually owned a drill, I might try that!

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

Wow - everyone has such detailed routines for their tree. I usually just have them cut off the buttom, stick it in the stand, water it everyday and decorate it right away.

Once the tree gets in the house, I'm itching to decorate it, I would never be able to let it sit for a few days for the branches to drop.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

Wow, thank you to for everyone that responded!!! DH and I are getting our first real tree this year also and the help here is awesome. Thank you for such great tips and ideas.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

we got ours friday night and even though some people let it sit for 2 days; by saturday morning it had already dropped.

once we put the lights on it dropped even more

make sure you keep checking the water
we got a frasier fir which supposedly lasts longer

i was told to put some sugar in the water - water temp. doesnt matter

IT SMELLS SO GOOD!!!!

also, we had them cut about a half inch off the bottom - we got it from a family place and i told them to cut what they would do for themselves

they drilled one hole in the bottom to stick it on the stand and said that other holes really dont help soak up more water; but again, it depends who you ask

we tipped the tiny girl $10
she cut it, wrapped it and tied it to DH's truck all by herself LOL
she was so cute!!

Message edited 12/7/2008 3:12:07 PM.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

Always always always get a real tree! Cant have it any other way.

We ask for them to cut some of the bottom off...we also take that with us because it smells SO GREAT! We put it near the heat and yum!

We let the tree "drop" for at least a day. Its important because if you dont, your ornaments and lights droop and I am a fanatic about ornament placement.

We put warm water in with a little sugar. My grandmother told us years ago to add a little juice to it and it has worked beautifully.

Dont let it get too hot in the room the tree is in.

I have heard an aspirin helps but never tried it.

Love real trees!!!!!!!!

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

warm water in the stand, not cold

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

well, according to german tradition, the tree is decorated on christmas eve... this isn't some arbitrary idea... it's becuase real trees don't last long inside... if you run your fingers over a twig, no needles should come off. if they do, the tree is drying out and is now a fire hazard.

we did keep the tree indoors for about 10 days... but the lights were no longer plugged in once it failed the needle test

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

Okay Ladies I have another question!

We brought the tree in yesterday, I got the stuff they use to prolong the life of the tree. Thanks for all the tips!

Here is the thing - there is one super extra long branch just sticking out of the top. I picked it on purpose bc its PERFECT for the star BUT i WOULD like to cut a bit off the top. DH says that you cant do that - that is why you have them cute the bottom.

So, do you think it is bad if i just cut down this one branch??

Re: Help me with my first real tree!

I have done it. I don't know if you are "supposed to", but as long as you are carefull that you won't make it look weird, It's nor going to kill the tree or anything.

If you want to put the star ont hat branch, you coud just shorten it--you won't see the end of it once the star is on anyway. If you want to cut it off entirely, make sure you have something else somewhat centered to put the star on.

Re: Help me with my first real tree!