Thanksgiving is here and gone already and you know Christmas is around the corner! My family traditionally decorates for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. It seems the commercial push is making this earlier every year, but we remain steadfast in this tradition at my house. I look forward to this time of year for fun, fellowship, food and decorations! As a traditionalist, I enjoy a real live tree in my house. There is nothing better than that smell as soon as you open the door of your home to set the mood and spread some holiday cheer.

So where do you go to get a tree? North Carolina is the second-largest producer of Christmas trees in the nation. Choosing a tree can be a fun and rewarding family event. I advise against going all Clark Griswold and hopping in the family truckster, forgetting your chainsaw, on a quest for the perfect tree. Think about where in the home the tree will go and figure out what size tree, both height and width, that best suits your needs. There are several options to purchase your tree. Just like the Griswolds you can go to a farm, choose and cut your tree. Another option during the holidays, there are several local tree lots that pop up where you can choose and purchase a tree. Lastly, several nonprofits do holiday fundraisers with trees or wreaths so you know your money goes to support a great cause.

The freshest trees are going to be those from one of our North Carolina Christmas tree farms. So, look for tree lots selling local or NC trees. There are several species to choose from: Fraser fir, white pine, Virginia pine and Leyland cypress. Each tree type has its own unique smell and texture that will complete your Christmas decorating. Fraser fir is perhaps the most popular in North Carolina and for good reason. It boasts good needle retention, great fragrance, strong limbs and stays fresh for several weeks if cared for properly. White pine is another great choice. It has a softer texture, good needle retention, and more pliable limbs than Fraser fir. Virginia pine in regard to texture is in between Fraser fir and white pine. It has good needle retention and fragrance. Leyland cypress is lighter green than the other trees. It has soft flexible limbs, soft texture and a very attractive shape. The Leyland needs more water and tends to go dry a little quicker than the others.

So, you’ve gotten your perfect tree and managed to get it home atop the family trickster. Now what? Get your tree stand ready, try to do a dry fit to make certain it will work with your tree. Tree stands should be large enough to hold a minimum of one gallon of water. Use a course-toothed saw to make a fresh cut about an inch above the original cut. Set the tree in the stand and tighten it up, leveling and securing the tree with string if necessary. Now, add hot tap water to the stand immediately. If you get your tree from a lot and they make the fresh cut for you, get it in hot water (hot from the tap, not boiling) within an hour. This will keep the sap from the fresh cut from sealing the tree’s base, allowing it to draw water into the tree. The tree will need water three to four times within the first 24 hours so make sure to keep a check on it. It is important that it doesn’t go dry because that fresh cut will seal over, greatly affecting the longevity of the tree. Do not use any additives (or sugar according to popular myth) in the water for your tree. Research shows that these are unnecessary and in many instances shorten the longevity of the tree. Many newer homes tend to be bone dry in the winter time. If this is the case at your house, a quick mist of the needles, using a household spray bottle full of tap water, will greatly benefit your tree over the course of the season. Do this two or three times a week. This is just to moisten the needles, you do not want it so wet that it is dripping. Of course, remember to unplug any lights prior to misting the tree!

Locate your tree away from heat sources, vents, fireplaces, radiators and sunny windows. These will dry the tree out. Remember not to overload electrical circuits and turn the lights off when leaving or going to bed for the night. Enjoy your tree!

For every year the Christmas tree,

Brings to us all both joy and glee.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

Much pleasure doth thou bring to me!

O Christmas Tree

— Mario Lanza

If you’re having trouble with growing in your home landscape, call the Extension office at 252-946-0111 or email Gene Fox at gene_fox@ncsu.edu. Interested in being a Master Gardener? There is going to be an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer training series this spring. Sign-up for our information list at go.ncsu.edu/bocoemginterest to receive updates. We will have two informational meetings on Dec. 10; one at noon and one at 5 p.m. Call the Extension center today to learn more or visit the Blacklands Area Horticulture page on Facebook!

Gene Fox is the area consumer horticulture agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension.