How to Pick and Decorate a Christmas Tree

How to identify and set up a great Christmas tree.

Step 1: Bring home a tree

Go out and find a tree. The best ones are those you cut yourself, as they'll be fresher, healthier, and will smell more strongly. This year I was lazy, so I picked mine up at Home Depot. It's not the same, and I'll do it right next year.

Pick a nice healthy tree. If it's pre-cut, make sure the needles are still tightly affixed. Check the height carefully, as it's easy to accidentally bring home an enormous tree if you're selecting in the wild. Measure your standing reach as a reference, or remember to bring a tape measure. My standing reach is 7.5', roughly the proper height tree for my ceilings. Cut your tree, or pick one from the lot and have the trunk re-cut.

Either way, they'll cover your tree in netting and probably help you put it on your car. Bring ratcheting tie-downs to make sure it stays there.

Comments

[flamesami]

what I do is, I buy those trees with roots, put them in a pot, then use as normal, this way, I can use the tree for ages and ages

[dave367]

All of her life, my Mom would run this scam:  Go to the tree lot. Pick out a horribly lop-sided tree--something that spent its life smack up against another tree, whatever. Essentially an unsalable tree. Offer the lot half price--less if it's really mangled. Tell them you only intend to cut the branches off for a wreath or something. When you get the tree home, cut off whole branches where they are dense, and drill appropriately-sized holes in the trunk where it's barren, and just plug 'em in. Mom used to get the lot down to free sometimes--hard to do better than that!

[thermoelectric]

Did you cut down a tree yourself this year or did you get it from home depot?

[Coffee bean]

A while back my family got a stand from a local seller that uses a spike that sticks in a hole they drill at the sellers. it works well. i also saw some kind of foot pumping stand look cool.

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