Know How To Choose Your Christmas Tree

I came across this very interesting article by Sal Vaglica on This Old House website, which gives lots of great points for you to know when selecting your Christmas tree.

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For the freshest and healthiest tree, you should patronize an established tree farm or a lot that brings in trees from local farms. The ones that the farms sell are grown specifically to retain their needles. Most Christmas trees are cut about 3 to 4 weeks before they arrive on the lot—usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, according to Clarke Gernon, chairman of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Once you’re perusing the lot, picking the right tree is like picking ripe mango: you should smell and touch.

1. Test the branches. – Grab any branch on the tree between your thumb and forefinger, gently clamp down and pull towards yourself. If you end up with a handful of needles, the tree is already past its prime.
2. Crush the needles in your hand and then check the scent. “If the tree doesn’t smell enough, don’t buy it,” says Roger.

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To read the entire article, go over to This Old House website.