Be sure you get a tree that will not only fit in your home, but also in the vehicle you’re going to use to get it there! The automaker recommends measuring thoroughly before you pick a tree. Whether you’re measuring the distance from your trunk to the front seat, the length of your vehicle’s roof, or simply the height of your living room ceiling, you want to be sure you know how much room you have to work with.
However you are transporting your tree home, you want to be sure it’s secure. If it’s inside your vehicle, wrap it up in a tarp or a blanket, that way you can be sure you aren’t going to wreck your interior bringing home your decorative centerpiece. If it’s on top of your vehicle, you should still wrap it in a tarp to protect your roof, but also use ratchet straps to secure it so it doesn’t end up a road hazard.
Finally, VW suggests that after you get your tree home, it’s a pretty good time to clean your vehicle. Pine sap might make a good disinfectant, but it is bad for all kinds of materials, and pine needles get everywhere. If some sap lands on the outside of your vehicle, VW recommends using bug and tar remover to help clean it without hurting your paint.
That’s it for getting it home. But there are some helpful bits of information for you once you get it home.
For many, decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most magical parts of the year, so the last thing you will want to think about is following any ‘rules.’ After all, it’s a chance for you to revisit heirloom ornaments and personal traditions.
However, learning how to decorate a tree from professionals is never a bad thing, especially if you want to make the right statement to your friends and family over the festive season.
Therefore, while these Christmas tree decorating ideas and rules are certainly not rigid, they may help you get the look you are going for.
It may seem like a somewhat inevitable place to start, but over-dressing your tree is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, and in many ways, it is easily done. ‘Too many decorations on a tree is not a good look,’ says designer Jen Dallas.
To prevent your tree from looking too crowded, Jen recommends keeping a balance of space between ornaments and ensuring you can see some greenery and lighting in each space. ‘All of those considerations can really make or break a tree,’ she says.
‘For me, Christmas is all about going over the top with decorations, so I really don’t mind over-decorated trees, especially because it’s often my kids doing the decorating and they like to throw the kitchen sink at it,’ says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief, Homes & Gardens. ‘However, I’m not a big fan of under decorated Christmas trees, which, I think can look a little miserable and unfinished.’
Jen explains that larger ornaments should be placed towards the lower part of the tree, while smaller pieces should be placed towards the top. ‘That will keep the tree from looking like it might fall over from all of the heavier objects being placed at the top,’ the designer says.
As well as gaining visual balance from putting larger decorations at the thicker, lower end of the tree and smaller ones above, she adds that the ornaments you do use should then be equally disbursed over the entire tree and not placed on one specific side or area since most trees are generally visible all round, even when pushed in a corner.
You would be forgiven for thinking that a coherent collection of ornaments would give your tree a seamless look overall. However, Jen warns that this lacks individuality and character – both of which are fundamental to the best Christmas décor ideas. ‘Mix and match ornament styles,’ Jen says. ‘Don’t use the same types of ornaments. Make it interesting! Help your tree tell a unique story.’
‘Christmas garland ideas, used on the tree, need to look consistent from the bottom to the top of the tree,’ says Jen Dallas. ‘Keep it equally spaced as it trails up the tree, otherwise it makes the tree look untidy, and even like it’s uneven or leaning.’
‘I think of Christmas tree topper ideas as a finishing flourish,’ says Lucy Searle. ‘It’s like choosing to wear a hat at a wedding, elevating your outfit just that touch more. I don’t think it matters whether you choose a Christmas tree ribbon, a star or an angel (which is what my kids favor), it just gives the tree a completed look.’
If you’ve got the Christmas tree base right, it will keep your tree sturdily upright throughout the holiday season. And, of course you can hide it with gifts. But once those gifts are open, the base is on show. And it’s rarely pretty. ‘Christmas tree skirt ideas are largely hidden beneath gifts in the run up to Christmas,’ says Lucy Searle. ‘But once those gifts have been opened, they come into their own, hiding and ugly base effortlessly.’
Christmas trends are ever-changing. Every year, different colored trees appear to have a moment, and in some cases, if you’re particularly fond of a specific color, these trees can be worth the investment. However, in other cases, designer Devin Shaffer warns, it is better to stick with a traditional tree. ‘As beautiful as they might be, a blue or purple tree is eventually going to lose its attraction,’ he says. ‘Much like an interior project, start with a neutral backdrop (traditional color tree) and add trendy colors and styles to the bulbs as your taste changes over the years.’
‘Obviously a beautifully decorated tree is nothing without lights. But normal string lights let off a lot of heat which, as we know, can dry out the tree. If you are putting lights on your tree, consider LED lights,’ advises Chris Bonnett, founder of Gardening Express. ‘Not only do they let off less heat but they’re also more energy efficient and give the tree a softer glow.’
To keep a Christmas tree alive for longer, you need to prep it just ahead of decorating it. ‘When you purchase your tree, the seller will already cut the bottom of it. But before putting the tree up, it’s a good idea to give it another cut,’ says Chris from Gardening Express. ‘Sap will have formed at the bottom of the trunk from the first trim in an attempt to heal the tree’s wound. Giving it another trim before placing it in water will remove this, allowing for a much better water consumption.
That’s not all there is to your tree though.
It’s also reportedly been a very dry season for the trees this fall into the winter. That’s going to make your tree extremely thirsty. If you are looking to pick it up early, and want to ensure it lasts through the New Year, you’ll want to hydrate it properly. The key to maintaining a fresh Christmas tree is to keep the bottom 5 cm of the trunk immersed in water, even if that means refilling the stand every day.
If your tree has already dried out slightly there are two things you can do to try to get it back into shape. The first is to re-cut the base. The base should be freshly cut before you put it up even if it was only a couple of days since it was last cut; unless you stored it in water. The new cut should be about 1 cm up the trunk to get past the dried sap. The second thing is to use a humidifier near the tree, it might help perk up some of the branches and needles again.
A dry tree is a fire hazard.
Finally; there is another benefit your tree can provide. . If you get an evergreen Christmas tree, especially a pine, take some clippings and put it in a jar of White Vinegar for about 3 weeks then strain it. The liquid is called Evergreen Vinegar, or Pine Vinegar, and is a great cleaning agent. Pine is a natural disinfectant used to clean and disinfect almost anything. The oils in pine are antibacterial, so they can inhibit the growth of bacteria and even kill some of them!
Source One: https://bit.ly/3ipZVYf
Source Two: https://bit.ly/3Fv4MQX
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