A Guide To Getting The Right Christmas Tree

Putting up the Christmas decorations is exciting and lots of fun. Getting the best centrepiece Xmas tree at the right time can seem a little daunting. There’s so many to choose from! Need a little help? Read on…

Find a stockist

You’ll need to do a bit of online research here to find a local stockist. Is there a Christmas tree farm near you? Here the trees will all be displayed on individual stands for you to take your pick. Or, if you take your own tools you’ll be able to dig one up from the plantation. There’ll be a range of trees available from tiny to huge and you can even reserve your own Xmas tree to pick up at a later date.

Otherwise look for a nursery or garden centre to view a range of potted and cut trees. Tips to bear in mind are that a healthy Christmas tree has bright needles, that don’t fall off when you touch them. If the needles snap when you bend them in half, that’s another good sign. Sticky sap covering the Xmas tree is also an indication that the tree is well and strong.

Remember that if you don’t have adequate transport to get the tree home you need to know if there’s a delivery possibility. This may come at a cost so don’t forget to include that in your budget! Another option is to order your Christmas tree online and have it delivered directly to your door. After the Christmas season is over many online retailers will arrange to come and collect your tree, or you could recycle it at your local centre.

Select a tree

There are three different families of Christmas trees and they are spruces, firs and pines. Within the spruce family are White, Norway and Colorado Blue varieties. These are all suitable as Christmas trees. The Colorado Blue Spruce keeps its needles for a long time, but they do tend to have an unpleasant odour if they’re crushed. The foliage is a pretty blue and it has a nice shape. The White Spruce has branches that are short and stiff, making it ideal for hanging ornaments. It too has excellent needle retention and is a lovely colour. Although the Norway spruce has an impressive conical shape, it quickly loses its needles if you don’t look after it properly. You’ll notice it also has a very pleasant scent!

Pine trees are members of the conifer family and are evergreen. They’re the most commercially grown, harvested and imported variety for use as Xmas trees. You’ll be able to choose from White, Scotch or Virginia pines. Pine cones are popularly used as Christmas decorations as they lend themselves to be painted in festive colours.

There are a huge variety of firs to choose from – the most common being the Balsam, Douglas, Noble and Grand variations. The Douglas fir can live up to a 1000 years! The branches have a sweet fragrance and are distinctive in that they radiate in all directions. Balsam firs are also fragrant and are dark green in colour. The needles are rounded at the tip and the tree looks like a Christmas tree should. The Noble fir has short, stiff branches with blue-green needles, and the Grand fir has a very citrusy smell.

The choice is yours! If you’ve got a young family you may decide to buy a Xmas tree in a container and plant it in your garden. It’ll grow about two feet every year and your children can grow up with it. Don’t forget it’ll take several years for you to be able to decorate it properly, but it’s a lovely outdoor project to undertake alongside your indoor purchase.

Tree care

As soon as you get your tree home you’ll need to put it in a bucket of water in a shaded place, away from any direct sunlight. It’ll be very thirsty so keep checking the water level and top it up as necessary. It’s a good idea to cut a slice of the base as this opens the pores, letting it absorb even more water. When you take the tree indoors find a spot that’s out of any drafts and direct light-this’ll ensure the tree lasts longer. A freshly cut, healthy tree should last about six weeks. You may want to stand the bucket on a cover to protect the floor from water splashes when you continue to fill up. If you’ve got small children or pets choose a position where the tree won’t be knocked over.

Decorate!

The first step in the traditional tree-decorating operation is to hang the lights! Start at the base of the Christmas tree and work upwards, wrap the lights around every branch from the trunk to the trip and then back again. Try and use 100 lights for every foot of the tree. There are lots of different lights to choose from, the most popular being the incandescent variety. They come in a range of sizes and colours and encourage the Xmas tree to release its scent. Other lighting options include LED lights which are very safe for your tree, bubble lights that resemble lava lamps and globe lights that look like balls of colour.

Add the tinsel and garlands next. It’s easier to start at the top and wave your way down the branches. Use a variety of garlands from slim beaded types to thick ribbon and foil ones and wrap them loosely for the best effect. Then you can complete the look with the Christmas tree ornaments. Take a look at the tree to see just where to position them for maximum effect. Choose prime positions for your larger pieces, spacing them evenly. Use the spaces in between to hang medium and smaller sized ornaments, and fill any empty voids with hanging icicles or individual personalised items.

Don’t forget to decorate the container that the tree is standing in. You could cover it with pretty Xmas paper or crepe paper moulded around the pot.

Sven Jefferson is a dedicated nature lover who likes to spend a significant amount of time out in the open. He is raising a tree farm for a living and occasionally blogs. And to be precise, writing might be one the other true passion of Sven.