Tips on how to keep your Christmas tree fresh

Its Christmas time!  Its Christmas time!  Its Christmas time!  I love Christmas.  Much more so now that I have 4 kids.  I crank up the music.  I love to cook all the food.  I love seeing my friends.  I love the festivities.  I just love it all.  Honestly, it fills me with a sense of joy.  Every year, an important part of my family's Christmas is decorating our tree.  As I've been doing for a long time, I'm always somewhat amazed at all the helpful hints that so many people give on keeping your tree looking nice. 

 Here's some of the few that I found:

1. Keep the tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, and heating vents.

2. Make sure you're watering the tree often. They can use a gallon or more of water every day. You should never let the reservoir go dry.

3. Spraying your tree with hair spray keeps the needles on the tree longer, but it can be a fire hazard.

4. Feed your tree by mixing four teaspoons of bleach with two cups of light corn syrup in a gallon of hot water. The bleach helps clear out sap so the tree can take in more water, and the corn syrup is a simple carbohydrate food source.

5. Refresh the tree by making a straight cut, taking one inch off the butt and immediately place in water. This will improve water uptake, especially if the tree was purchased from a lot and not freshly cut.

6. Place the tree in a stand that can hold at least 1 gallon of water. You should expect the tree to take up additional water if not freshly cut. Water the new tree until water uptake stops and continue to maintain the water level through the season.

7. Always keep the base of a tree in water. If the base dries out, resin will form over the cut end and the tree will not be able to absorb water and will dry out quickly. You don't need anything other than regular tap water. Again, drying out deters future water uptake and will need a new cut. Commercially prepared mixes like aspirin, sugar and other additives introduce into the water are not necessary. Research has shown that plain water will keep a tree fresh.

8. Check for worn Christmas tree light electrical cords and always unplug at night. Use UL approved electrical decorations and cords. Using miniature lights produce less heat and reduce the drying effect on the tree or any chance of fire.

9. Cutting a refresh "cookie" off the tree base is important only when trees have been cut for over 4 hours. If you let your stand water go dry for 4 hours, a new cookie cutting is necessary but impossible to do.

10. For easier watering, buy a funnel and a 3 to 4 foot tube. Slip the tube over the funnel outlet, extend the tubing down into the tree stand and water without bending over or disturbing the tree skirt. Hide this system in an out-of-the-way part of the tree.