WE ARE OFFICIALLY ENTERING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
December is fast approaching. We only have 28 days until Christmas. So, the time to start decorating our home for the holidays is now!
We just received all of our cut Christmas trees this past week. Nearly 2,500 in total. And, we have some beautiful 10’ to 12’ tall ones this year. They are beautiful.
Here are a few important tips to help keep your prized Christmas tree fresh throughout the holiday season:
- First, check the tree for freshness when making your selection. The foliage of a pre-cut tree should be flexible when the needles are bent.
- Be sure to make a fresh cut off the bottom of the trunk. Cutting the base exposes fresh wood that will drink up water.
- Keeping a continuous supply of water to the tree is essential to the freshness.
- Do NOT cut away any of the bark off the tree to make it fit the stand. The xylem, which is part of the tree that is responsible for sucking up water, is located just below the bark. If you damage it, the tree can’t get any water.
- Add a tree preservative to the water. We highly recommend TREE LIFE. The Tree Life preservative helps prevent your Christmas tree from sealing at the end of the trunk. There is no denying the importance of using TREE LIFE preservatives.
Here are some fun facts about Christmas trees:
- The use of a Christmas tree, in our homes, comes from Germany. Germans and Hessian mercenaries were paid to fight in our Revolutionary War. So, they brought this tradition to America. In 1804, U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) hauled trees from surrounding woods to their barracks at Christmas. The popularity of the Christmas tree then spread over America. Charles Minnegrode introduced the custom of decorating trees in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1842.
- For every real Christmas tree cut down, 20 to 30 seedlings are planted in its place.
- It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average height.
- Franklin Pierce, our 14th President, brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House.
- In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now held every year on the White House lawn.
So, as we begin our holiday decorating, I hope many of you enjoyed learning how to keep our fresh greenery and trees fresh for the entire season. And, learning a little history at the same time.