Christmas only comes once every year and this is why getting the best Miravila Christmas tree is considered as a family tradition. The good news is that keeping it fragrant and green once it arrives in your home isn’t that difficult. There are several tips you just need to follow to have the best and most memorable experience when buying your tree.
When is the Ideal Time for Buying Your Tree?
Most Christmas trees often arrive in local areas from tree farms right before Thanksgiving Day. You can expect better selections if you buy your tree earlier. Waiting until near Christmas to get your tree won’t ensure that the one you will get will be fresher. Instead, you might end up with one that has been staying on the lot for a longer time.
However, what makes the big difference here is the length of time that your tree will be staying up in your home. If the tree will be in your home longer, it may also dry out more because of less water intake, drier air, and warmer temperatures that can make the needle drop. Through proper care, Christmas trees can last indoors for about four weeks.
Buy Once But Measure Twice
Before you go to the tree farm, it is important to be sure that you know the size of the tree that best fits in your home. Measure your ceiling height and subtract the tree topper and stand’s height to get the maximum height for your tree. You also need to measure the space in the area where you are planning to place your tree to determine the width of the tree you will get.
Every Christmas tree has a different girth so you want to ensure that you will get something that is wide enough for the area. You also need to measure the diameter of your tree stand’s hole with bolts that barely stick through the sides. Your goal here is to make sure that the tree you will get has a trunk that fits and is large enough for keeping your tree upright.
Measure the distance from the water bowl’s bottom to the peak of the stand in which the anchor bolts are coming through. It is important to note this length when the time comes that you need to trim off the branches from the tree’s bottom. One more option is to just bring the stand with you to ensure that it is the perfect fit. In case you are planning to get a tree that is bigger than the one you had last year, there might be a need for you to invest in a larger stand.
What Type of Christmas Tree Should You Buy?
Christmas trees are available in different varieties. These include the renowned Fraser Fir with its excellent needle retention and fragrance and also Concolor Fir and Canaan Fir. Every tree variety has its unique characteristics.
All of them also have great needle retention. This means that at the end of the day, it is still about personal visual preferences. Trees are those that are freshly cut from tree farmers with all varieties offering good needle retention as long as you take care of them properly.
What to Look for When Choosing Your Tree
Make sure that you check your Christmas tree for freshness. To do this, grab any tree branch between your forefinger and thumb then gently squeeze then pull it towards you. If you get handful of needles, you might want to look for a different tree. It is only natural that the inside of the tree will have a few needles because of transportation and cutting.
You also need to check the straightness of the tree trunk. Hold the tree upright and inspect the trunk’s overall straightness. It is less likely for a straighter tree to fall over after putting it up. You have to be absolutely tree that the trunk of tree fits in your stand. An important caution here is that trimming off the tree bark to make this fit in your stand will strip off the cambium layer of the tree that is responsible for water absorption.
As for the overall appearance and shape, look for a tree with a shape you like. There are trees that are skinny and tall while others are fat and short. It seems that customers always like those really full trees but the truth is that trees that have more open branches are much better for hanging your ornaments. A word of advice here is to never get too stressed out with finding that perfect tree. The moment you bring it home and spruce it up with garland, ornaments, and lights, your tree will surely look as perfect as how you want it to be.
What to Do After You Find a Tree
After finding the right tree for your home, you need to prepare it for transportation. Determine how you will take your tree home and put it up in the next 3 to 4 hours. Put the freshly cut tree on your car trunk and follow the tips listed below.
You might also want to remove several bottom branches for it to fit in your stand. If you are planning to put up the tree later on, take your tree home and keep it stored somewhere outdoors such as a patio or back deck and leave it in its netting. Once the time comes that you will move your Christmas tree indoors to decorate it, here are some things you need to do.
- Give your tree a fresh cut on the trunk’s bottom and remove at least one inch.
- Put the tree stand in your chosen space with backed out anchor bolts.
- Place a newspaper on the floor surrounding the tree stand for catching the falling needles when you remove the net.
- Put the tree in stand in vertical position then evenly tighten the anchor bolts. See to it that the tree can stand on its own once tight.
- Cut off the plastic netting starting from the bottom and work your way up. Let the branches unfold. Check the tree’s stability in the stand and reposition the tree and readjust the anchor bolts if needed.
- Discard the newspaper with fallen needles.
- Add water to the stand right away and ensure that the trunk’s bottom is submerged.