O TANNENBAUM

A guide to help you get the perfect Christmas tree

Finding the perfect Christmas tree is one of the biggest traditions of the holiday season. Rockefeller Center does it with ease year after year, and we can only hope for the same in our own living rooms. ● For anyone about to embark on their own Christmas

tree adventure, just know that there’s more to the journey than unboxing/untying it and standing it up. First,

you’ve got to decide whether you want a real Christmas tree or an artificial one. Then, you’ve got to feed and care for it, dress it and clean up after it. Sounds like a baby, right? Almost! ● Strap into your sleigh: Here’s our complete guide to Christmas trees.

This is the holiday quandary for the ages, isn’t it? Do you stay true to the nostalgia, character and tradition of having a fragrant live fir, pine or spruce tree in your home, or do you embrace the convenience, dependability and perfection that an artificial tree delivers?

The biggest factor in deciding is where you live. Do you live in a state where you can go cut down a fresh tree? Or, are real trees being shipped to your local home improvement store and, thus, a little less fresh? Secondly, can your space accommodate the size of a real tree? Or, should you opt for a tabletop tree or a twig tree?

Another reason you may have to opt for a fake tree over a real one is allergies. If you get watery eyes, a runny nose or a skin rash, you may be experiencing a reaction to mold spores on the tree, pine tree sap, dust mites, chemicals used as pesticides at tree farms or – gross – insect droppings.

Folks concerned with aesthetics can go either way depending on what they are looking for in design. A real tree typically speaks to old-world Christmases. A traditional artificial tree can as well, but fake trees also open the door to unique stylings including gold, pink or other colors, and flocking.

Then you’ve got safety considerations. Real trees are flammable and can go up quickly if they dry out. Artificial trees are less likely to carry such a worry, as long as you buy a flame-resistant or fireproof variety.

When it comes to maintenance, a live Christmas tree requires regular care, including watering multiple times per week and vacuuming up fallen needles. After the set-up process, an artificial tree just, well, stands there.

Where to buy a Christmas tree

For fans of real Christmas trees, we highly recommend visiting a local tree farm and cutting down your own. Not only is this a fun activity, but you’ll get a much fresher tree than you would at a big box store that gets trees shipped from elsewhere and likely cut a month or more ahead of time.

If a tree farm isn’t an option, you can visit a nursery or garden shop, or major retailers like the Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart.

You can buy an artificial tree pretty much anywhere. Of course, you’ll get a vastly different selection depending on where you shop – a dollar store likely won’t be up to the caliber of what you may find at Lowe’s, which may not be up

to the caliber of, say, a specialty retailer like Balsam Hill.

Once you know your budget, shop around and try to go check out the trees in person so you can get a feel for what they really look like. You can always come home and order the artificial tree online, so that it gets shipped straight to your home without any heavy lifting on your part.

Caring for a live tree

Keeping a Christmas tree from drying out is a challenge, but it’s one you really must overcome because a dry tree is a fire hazard.

Your options go beyond watering it daily: Some evergreen species, like the fir and the Scotch pine, have longer needle retention than others. You also don’t want to cut or buy your tree too early – it will really only last about one month.

Keep the tree cool inside the house, i.e. don’t set it up next to the fireplace, no matter how festive it looks there.

Before bringing a real tree into your home, you’ll want to check it for bugs and mold. You can do so easily by shaking it and then washing down its trunk with a spray bottle filled with a white vinegar and water solution.

Success is in the tree stand

We’ve all seen the funny home videos where a wobbly Christmas tree falls over, smashing ornaments and dragging garland, possibly onto the body of a live victim. Don’t have that be you.

The key to a secure Christmas tree for the duration of the season is a solid, stable stand, one that can take on even the most mischievous kitty.

Christmas tree stands are really only for the person who plans to put up a live tree, since artificial trees come with their own stand built-in. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from bulky plastic pots to welded steel quadrupodstyle contraptions. Just make sure the stand you want can accommodate the size of tree you buy.

Tree lights: You’ve got options

Wrapping string lights around a Christmas tree seems like a fairly easy task, but there’s actually a lot to think about.

First off, there’s the question of whether you should opt for incandescent or LED string lights. Incandescent lights typically offer a nice, warm glow; they’re what we traditionally consider “Christmas tree lights.” On the other hand, LEDs are newer and flashier, and they tend to have cooler appeal.

You’ll pay more at the store for LEDs than you will for incandescents when it comes to the initial buy-in, but in the long run, LEDs cost less to operate.

Plus, LEDs have a longer overall lifespan, are cooler to the touch, are sturdier and are easier to install, all of which means you’re less likely to end up with a Clark Griswold situation.

Choosing your tree decorations

There are as many ways to decorate a Christmas tree as there are stars in the sky. Well, almost. But whether you like a quirky theme, gilded glamour, modern minimalism, traditional cranberry-popcorn garland panache or what we call kid-crafted ornamental, decorating a tree is best done in steps.

Pick your style, fluff the branches, hang the lights, add your garland, dress with ornaments and crown with a topper – in this order. Complete the look with a tree skirt or collar. All should be done while blasting holiday tunes. Hey, we don’t make the rules.

Cleanup after the holidays

When it comes to taking down your Christmas tree, you want to do so with as little mess as possible.

For real trees, get a tree disposal bag, which you can neatly – maybe – pull up and around the tree from its bottom to its top. This should prevent dry pine needles from spraying all over. If the pine needles still go rogue, you can use a vacuum to clean up.

If you have an artificial tree, store it in a moisture-resistant tree storage bag.

Wrap up your lights in a storage container or even around cardboard cutouts or a garment hanger so they don’t get tangled.

Of course, don’t forget to store your treasured ornaments – whether they’re breakable or not – in sturdy bins or ornament specific storage boxes.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOAO FAZENDA FOR REVIEWED/USA TODAY NETWORK A true testament of your green thumb will be how you keep your live Christmas tree thriving and hydrated.

Although you may have incandescent string lights from previous years that still function, consider upgrading them to LEDs to lessen energy costs and add appeal.

JOAO FAZENDA FOR REVIEWED Storing away your artificial Christmas tree quality storage bag will protect it from the elements and preserve its original condition.