It’s Almost Christmas

It’s time to go Christmas tree shopping again, if you and your family want to get a live tree this year. Most folks enjoy looking for just the right tree, because it is a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy. It also helps everyone to get in the Christmas spirit again.

Some families get excited about tramping into the woods to hunt down the elusive perfect Christmas tree. Some knock down the first tree they see and haul it to the car. Others act like they are Christmas tree shopping and dawdle along until the kids get cold and the spouse gets short-tempered.

Some of us are gamblers and wait until a couple days before Christmas to look for an attractive Christmas tree. So we stop by the nearest lot and try to find an acceptable tree in the bunch of sorry left-overs. They waited too long and the best trees are long gone, so the kids complain and the spouse mouths “I told you so.”

For many families shopping for a Christmas tree is needlessly stressful and hardly fosters the holiday spirit. Whether you shop early or late at the nearest lot or the distant forest, getting your Christmas tree should be fun. Period!

Here are a few tips to help while out Christmas tree shopping this year.

• Measure you Christmas tree space before you go shopping. Get out the tape measure and check the distance from floor to ceiling. Next measure the width of the space. After you take these measurements, subtract one foot off the top to compensate for the tree stand. You don’t want to squish your star or angel up on top of the tree. Write the measurements down and take them with you when you go shopping.
• Take the tape measure with you.Christmas trees often look smaller than they actually when you see then next to other trees that are bigger or smaller. You don’t want ot have to lop off the top or bottom of the tree because you a tree that’s too tall. Conversely you can’t add height ot width to a tree that’s simply too small. You want to end up with a year that fits your house perfectly, so measure before buying.
• Decide on whether you want a scrawny or full tree. A straggly tree may look awful on the lot but show off your ornaments beautifully. A full tree can be too dense, so you can’t see the folks on the other side at all.
• Check to make sure that the tree you select from a lot is fairly fresh. Look at the needles to see how dry the tree is, because really dry tree can be a fire hazard. Run your finger over one of the branches. If needles start falling left and right then you know that this tree is probably not the one for you. However, if the needles bend and then spring back, you got yourself a winner.

Follow these easy steps while out Christmas tree shopping this year and you are sure to end up with a tree that will please everyone in the family.