How to Care for Your Farm-Grown Fresh Christmas Tree

When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your displayed trees. Below are a number of tips relating to the care of displayed trees:

1. Displaying trees in water in a traditional reservoir type stand is the most effective way of maintaining their freshness and minimizing needle loss problems.
2. Make a fresh cut to remove about a 1/2-inch thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Don't cut the trunk at an angle, or into a v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to hold the tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree.
3. Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6 to 8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. Don't bruise the cut surface or get it dirty.
4. If needed, trees can be temporarily stored for several days in a cool location. Place the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that is kept full of water.
5. To display the trees indoors, use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Devices are available that help maintain a constant water level in the stand.
6. Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed.
7. Keep displayed trees away from sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.
8. The temperature of the water used to fill the stand is not important and does not affect water uptake.
9. Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree. With many stands, there can still be water in the stand even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged in water.
10. Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does not improve water uptake.
11. Use of lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, will reduce drying of the tree.
12. Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set.
13. Do not overload electrical circuits.
14. Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
15. Monitor the tree for freshness. After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house.
16. Go to www.realchristmastrees.org and type in your ZIP code to find a recycling program near you.
17. Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace.

Prepared by Dr. Gary Chastagner and Dr. Eric Hinesley
Edited by the Scientific Research Committee of the National Christmas Tree Association

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Top 10 Choices for Christmas Trees

Do you have your favorite type of tree to use for a Christmas tree or do you just buy the first tree you see on the lot? Most people ponder over this important decision, looking for the perfectly shaped, fullest, most beautiful tree they can find. Read here to find the perfect type of tree for your ultimate holiday decoration and to find out about the many options available.
1) Fraser Fir
The Fraser Fir may be the perfect holiday tree. Its attractive 1" needles are silvery-green and soft to the touch. Because there is space between the branches, the Fraser is easier to decorate than some trees. The firm branches hold heavier ornaments. The trees grow to almost perfect shapes, and as long as the cut tree is kept properly watered, the Frasier Fir has excellent needle retention.
2) Noble Fir
The Noble Fir is deep green in color and has unusually lovely branch shape. Boughs of this tree are often made into fresh wreaths. Its branches are sturdy yet the needles are not too sharp to decorate easily. Like the Fraser Fir, the Noble's branches have good spacing between branches so it's easy to hang ornaments on them.
3) Colorado Blue Spruce
A Colorado Blue Spruce has a nice pyramidal shape with strong limbs that can hold heavy ornaments. The Blue Spruce is known for its lovely blue foliage which can also appear silvery. If your decorating scheme does not include this bluish tint, this tree may not be right for your home.
4) Grand Fir
The Grand Fir has a glossy dark green color with needles that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. This tree is soft to the touch and may not be able to hold heavier ornaments. It's a pretty tree htat grows as high as 300 feet and it's becoming more popular for homes.
5) Balsam Fir
The Balsam Fir is a beautiful dark-green color with airy, flexible branches that may not be able to hold heavy ornaments. It has an attractive form, it holds its needles well, and gives off a pleasant fragrance for your home.
6) White Fir (or Concolor Fir)
The National Christmas Tree Association notes that "Needles are usually 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch long, pointed or notched at the tip, bluish-green when young turning dull green with age.... As a Christmas tree, white fir has good foliage color, a pleasing natural shape and aroma, and good needle retention."
7) Eastern White Pine
Branches from the White Pine are often used in garlands, wreaths, and centerpieces due to their long, feathery, soft needles. Though it is a beautiful tree, branches can be a bit too flexible to support heavier decorations. Its lush fullness also makes it difficult to squeeze in ornaments. The White Pine needles last a long time when properly watered.
8) Douglas Fir
A Douglas Fir is beautiful Christmas tree with soft shiny green needles. It may be difficult to decorate if the branches have been sheared into a perfect conical shape, leaving too little space between branches to hang decorations. If this variety of tree is available, you might want to take an unbreakable ornament with you when you buy a tree to see if you can put decorations on it. Choose a Douglas Fir that is freshly cut and keep it well watered.
9) Scotch Pine
You'll want to wear gloves when decorating a Scotch Pine, since its needles can be sharp as pins! Also, due to heavy shearing, there may be little space between branches for ornaments. The Nat'l Christmas Tree Association notes "the Scotch pine is known for its excellent needle retention and good keepability. It resists drying and if permitted to become dry does not drop its needles."
10) Norway Spruce
The Norway Spruce is a beautiful tree but does not hold its needles well, and should be purchased just just a week or so before December 25th. The National Christmas Tree Association notes that the "overall color of Norway spruce is fair to excellent, but needle retention is considered poor unless the trees are cut fresh and kept properly watered."

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Themes for Christmas Decorations

Create Unique Christmas Decor Around a Special Interest

Decorating a room or party around a theme has been popular for ages. Each year, department stores choose a theme for their Christmas deocrations. Party planners choose a theme for the focus of big celebrations. The Tournament of Roses President chooses a theme for the festivities on New Year's Day. Parents choose a theme to decorate their child's room.

It's only natural that you'd think of choosing a theme to decorate your home for Christmas. Having a unified theme helps the look to flow from room to room or tree to table.

Choose to showcase a special collection that you can't have on display all year. Christmas is the perfect time to give these items a place of distinction, enjoy them, share them, then put them away until next year.

Plan a party around a theme.
Children love a breakfast with Santa, my musical friend plans a dinner around a musical theme each Christmas, and another friend invites her dearest friends for luncheon each hoiday time and the theme is "love." Everything is decorated in red and white with hearts everywhere.

Even if you don't do a lot of decorating for Christmas, it's natural to decorate a Christmas tree with a theme. Place a small Christmas tree in a child's bedroom decorated with small toys, miniature dolls, or small sports items. Add twinkling white lights and you'll have a wonderful nightlight for the holiday season.

Welcome guests with a small tree in the guest room. Place a small tree in a corner of the kitchen counter, decorated with miniature kitchen items found in a toy store.

As you read about our ideas for Christmas decorating themes, you'll probably realize that you can think of many more, ones that particularly express your interests. Gather up items that are special to you, add a red bow or ornament hook, and get decorating.

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Easy Ways to Add the Christmas Spirit to Your Home

Holiday Sparkle in No Time at All

If you're like most people, you don't have much time left at the end of a busy day to do anything extra. But at this time of year, you want to do something to make your home look festive and special and create the wonderful Christmas holiday atmosphere. You'll find some ideas here for quick and simple ways to add a festive look to your home without spending a lot of time or money. And you'll have time left over to really enjoy Christmas!

Most are our ideas are very easy, many are free, and none takes more than a minimum of time and effort.

1. Decorate Everything With Bows

• Tie generous ribbons to chair backs, candlesticks, picks in plants, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs, stair railings, and doorknobs.
• Bows look festive and the ribbons you choose should tie together with the rest of your decorating.

• Choose ribbons in colors and patterns that coordinate with your decorating scheme.
• You don't have to stick with red and green. Choose plaids or florals that tie in. If you can't find anything that looks quite right, then choose metallic silver, gold, green, or red.
• Choose a ribbon that you can untie and re-tie each year. This will save money in the long run, and you'll end up with a good collection.
• When the holidays are over, untie the ribbons and press them lightly. The bows won't get crushed and the ribbons will be ready when you want to take them out the next year.
• 2. Use holiday tableware for every meal in December.
• Look through your cupboards and get out any dishes that look festive.
• Discount stores often carry seconds of name brand china, as well as fun designs that are not so common.
• Start a set of holiday dishes with dinner plates that coordinate with your everyday dishes. Add new pieces each year, like salad plates and mugs. Note: Be sure the pattern you select will be continued from year to year.
• Buy 1 or 2 place settings each year. Before long, you'll be able to serve a feast.
• If you're adventuresome, choose a different pattern and one place setting each year. Arrange the different dishes around the table and get lots of comments and rekindle memories. When they're not in use, the dishes can be displayed around the room.

3. Turn off the lights.

• Arrange lots of candles on the dining table and dine by candlelight, even if you're just having leftovers. Every meal will feel special.
• Burn a fire in the fireplace each evening and encourage family members to gather around and read, do homework, write Christmas cards, or snooze.
• Arrange pillar candles in your bathroom, on the sink or around the tub. Take time to soak and enjoy! If you have little children in your home, you should be very careful with candles around the house. Always have an adult in the room.

4. Hang holiday wreaths.

• Put a wreath or swag on every door you have. Of course, start with the front door to welcome guests.
• Go on to the back door, inside and out. Remember over the mantle, and in all your front windows. Don't forget bedroom doors, inside and out.
• Use real pine, holly, or grapevine, decorated with bows, berries, fruit, pinecones, raffia, ornaments, birds, photos, or candy.
• To keep wreaths year after year, buy artificial wreaths that will last. Remember, you'll need room to store them!

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Decorate Your Christmas Tree

Find Loads of Holiday Decorating Ideas

A beautiful, symmetrical fir tree is a perfect symbol of the Christmas season. But by decorating it with treasures, you create a one-of-a-kind memory of the season. Find our ideas for decorating your Christmas tree in this resource index from About.com
Decorating a Christmas Tree

• Christmas Tree Decorating Tips
  Find basic information on decorating your tree, from ornaments and lights to garlands, nosegays, and decorating themes.
• Christmas Tree Decorating Basics
  Interior design principles are good to follow when decorating your home. Use them for your holiday decorating, too, and your home will be festive and beautiful.
• Christmas Color
  If you're a traditionalist, you'll probably use all the decorations you have.

But you can create a dramatic Christmas tree based on a color theme. Find help on choosing a dramatic Christmas color scheme for your home.

Garlands add a unifying element to Christmas tree decor.

Find out ways to use garland on your tree, how much to use, and when to place it on the tree. Then go on to  and find out how to make your own garland inexpensively.

How Much? - How much garland you need depends on the size of your tree, how deeply the garland is swagged, and how many times around the tree it is placed.

For an approximate guide, figure on at least 9 feet of garland per foot of tree (so a 7 foot tree will need about 63 feet of garland). Buy more to be safe, and use any extra on the mantle or wreaths.

Placement Tips- Gently swagged garland looks more graceful than straight or diagonal lines across the tree. Deeply swagged garland is beautiful but can only be used on large trees with open space between branches.

When to Put it On- Garland should be placed on the tree after the lights are installed. Once the garland is in place the ornaments and other decorations can be added.

Double or Triple It - For added interest use 2 or 3 types of garland swagged together. Use design principles of size variation and repetition when choosing garlands to use together. For instance, use a wide navy velvet ribbon with a small silver beaded garland and a medium sized blue and silver icicle garland. Attaching It- Garland will generally stay where you put it. However, when tree branches are delicate and drooping, garlands may tend to slip off. Some flexible garlands can be wound around a branch to hold them in place. In the alternative a garland can be secured with a small piece of wire, a ribbon, or a small green twist tie.

Vertical Garland- Garlands can be attached to the top of your tree (behind the tree topper), then looped down vertically. Be sure to add some twists and turns, wiring to branches if necessary, in order to add interest and graceful curves. This technique is especially suited to ribbon.

Ribbon - Ribbon is a great material to use for garlands and comes in wide and narrow widths, patterned and plain styles. Wired edges will help you arrange it on the tree. If the ribbon has no wire, then twist and turn it occasionally, fastening into place with small wires.

Cut It Up- Beaded garlands can sometimes be cut up into lengths and used as tinsel to drape over branches. Be sure that cutting the garland won't cause all of the beads to fall off of the string. Strings knotted between each bead or styles where beads are glued in place will work for this technique. Cut garland pieces about 16 inches long, fold in half and set on a branch. Vary the lengths to get a more interesting look. This works best with garland that is very flexible and will fold easily over branches.

Raffia - An inexpensive country look garland can be made from strands of raffia (clip raffia to even lengths and tie or wire lengths together). Wire swags onto branches to control the wild raffia look.

Vines - Long natural vines can be used as a garland if they are thin and flexible enough to be worked around the tree.

Chains - Homemade chains of paper strips or ribbon lengths can be made in any size or color you desire.

Popcorn - The old standby of popcorn and cranberry garlands add a homey look to your tree.
You'll need to experiment with needles, thread, and popcorn to determine the best method. This project may be better suited to a small tree since stringing 50+ feet of garland for a taller tree may be more than you can do.

Mini Pinecones- Pinecones look wonderful on a tree, especially a country or cabin themed tree. Look for commerically made garlands of mini-cones, or try making your own if you have a source of small pinecones.

Beads - Beaded garlands are a traditional favorite. Buy commerical styles in wood, faux pearls, and artificial cranberry. Or, string your own custom garland with the beads of your choice.

Trimmings- There are many craft and fabric materials that can be creatively used as garland. Look for cording, trimmings, artificial leaf garlands, tassles, upholstery trims, and more.

Twine, Rope- Twist, braid, knot, or loop twine or rope into a special garland. This might be perfect for a nautical tree, a Western themed tree, or a country tree.

Fold Your Own- Almost any paper decoration can be folded over a piece of twine or cording to make your own garland. Cut shapes out of folded paper, then glue the halves together with the twine encased in the fold. Space evenly on the twine, every 6" or so. Think about using color copies of photos, folded paper snowflakes, construction paper hearts, cardboard cabin shapes, etc.

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It's Time Get Your Christmas Tree

Tips on Choosing the Tree, Stand, Watering System, and Decorations

By the time you've lit your Christmas tree for the first time, you will have put a lot of effort and time into the project. Why not do it the right way and have a picture-perfect tree this year? Find our sources for products and information on choosing the perfect tree, keeping it safe, getting the right lights, deciding on a theme for decorating, and creating wonderful memories.

Most everyone has their favorite type of Christmas tree, whether it has long needles or short, lots of branches or just a few, uniformly shaped or lopsided- with character. See our choices and then decide what you like best.

Do you end up buying a new Christmas tree stand each year because you don't know where you put the one from last year, or because you just got one nailed on at the Christmas tree farm? Our choices for best Christmas tree stands will bring you back, year after year. Their construction, shape, and features make setting up a Christmas tree and keeping it tree fresh, fragrant, and safe much easier.

I don't know anyone who looks forward to crawling under a Christmas tree to water it every day. But that's really what you should do to keep it fresh and safe throughout the Christmas season. Get information about new Christmas tree watering systems. The job doesn't have to be so tough!

Christmas Ideas

Christmas Ideas
Christmas is right around the corner and still there is so much left to be done.

Well, don't panic. Christmas is the time for enjoying and basking in the merriment of its spirit. Let us together indulge in this exciting and heart warming festival called Christmas .

Here are some simple and useful Christmas Ideas that would surely bring a smile on your face..

What's simply needed for these Christmas ideas is little bit of patience, some minor everyday use accessories and lots of fun .All the ideas are very easy to carry out and will surely make your holiday season a life long beautiful memory.

Christmas Bow Decorations
One of the simplest yet elegant Christmas ideas is to add ribbons to your decorations. They give a festive look and blend well when coordinated with your Christmas decorating scheme. You can add them to your chair backs, candlesticks, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs, stair railings, and doorknobs.
Christmas Tableware
Take out those festive looking dishes and cutlery. You can even start a set of holiday dishes with dinner plates that coordinate with your everyday dishes. You can add to your collection every year. Arrange the different dishes around the table and get lots of comments and rekindle memories. This Christmas idea is a lifelong purchase and wouldn't go waste at the end of the holiday season.
Christmas Candle Delight
Arrange lots of Christmas scented candles on the dining table and dine by candlelight. The effect will not only soothe your senses but will also add a special charm to even the simplest of dinners.

You can also arrange pillar candles in your bathroom, on the sink or around the tub. Take time to soak and enjoy! If you have little children in your home, you should be very careful with candles around the house. Always have an adult in the room. This Christmas Idea will surely make you take a break and enjoy in the wonders of Christmas .

Christmas Wreath
Put a Christmas wreath or swag on your doors. Start with the front door to welcome guests and proceed on to all main entrances of your house. This is a perfect Christmas idea to welcome your guests with the holiday spirit. To keep wreaths year after year, buy artificial wreaths that will last.

Add the Christmas Color
Liven up your house with a splash of Christmas colors. Drape garlands, either real or artificial, on railings, over mirrors, on the top of armoires, and along the mantle.

This acts not only like a wonderful Christmas Idea but also spreads along the Christmas spirit.

Gifts of Nature
Use leftover greens from your Christmas tree to make a few quick arrangements in simple bowls. Place a simple Christmas arrangement in a bookcase, on the bath sink, on the kitchen windowsill, and on occasional tables. You can also add pile pine cones with ornaments and bows in a bowl or basket. Gather sprigs of holiday greens together with a bow and hang them from the inside of your windows. Tie evergreen sprigs onto candles with a pretty ribbon. Add colorful, small ornaments.

All these Christmas Ideas will not only make your home fill with Christmas spirit but will also make you proud of the varied and exclusive décor you have put together.