Live Christmas Tree Tips

The perfect Christmas tree adds just the right touch to your holiday. Here are some tips to help you choose your tree and make it last through the holidays

1. The tree should have a strong, fresh pine smell and nice deep color.

2. Bend a small branch to see if snaps, if it does the tree is dry and you should pick another tree out with bendable branches.

3. You should let the tree settle for a couple of days before you bring it into the house. Make a small cut across the trunk of the tree on a diagonal to help the tree absorb water and dissolve the sap. Then put it in a bucket of warm water. If you add a half  a cup of sugar or an aspirin or two to the water it will help keep the tree fresh.

4. When you're ready to bring it inside, make a fresh cut straight across the trunk, and     drill a hole as far as you can into the trunk. Stuff the hole with some absorbent     material like old pieces of cotton to help pull water up and into the tree.

5. If you find yourself with a bunch of pine pitch on your hands during all of this,     rub them with some vegetable oil. The mess will come right off!