Put up Christmas tree, keep fresh, dispose & more
How do I set up the Christmas tree? How do I ensure a long shelf life & how do I dispose of it again?
No Christmas Eve without a Christmas tree - even the Celts celebrated Yule on December 21 or 22 with evergreen plants that symbolized health. Over the centuries, this evolved into the Christmas tree as we know it today. Traditionally, it is decorated on Christmas Eve with baubles, fairy lights or tinsel and remains until January 6, the Feast of the Magi - but not if the Christmas tree has long before lost its needles. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, here are some tips on transporting, setting up, caring for and more.
Tips for the transport & storage of the Christmas tree
You have bought your Christmas tree and now you just have to get it home? In order to enjoy your Christmas tree for a long time, you have to pay attention to the transport: It loses moisture and dries out due to the wind. So it's best to keep the tree company in the car. However, if it can only travel on the roof, then point the top backwards so that it does not lose its shape due to the wind. Once the Christmas tree has survived the journey home, the question arises: where to put it until Christmas Eve? It feels most comfortable in a cool, but frost-free place. The garage or the cellar have proven to be optimal storage locations. Make sure that the temperature is above eight degrees Celsius, because you may have bought insects with the tree, which will now wake up, look for food and die off after a short time. It is also best to cut off a one to two centimeter thick slice of the trunk and place the Christmas tree in a bucket of water. This will keep it fresh.
What to consider when setting up the Christmas tree
Of course, you need a Christmas tree stand for your Christmas tree. Ideally, this has a water tank, which makes watering easier for you. When buying the Christmas tree stand, also pay attention to the specified maximum height of the Christmas tree. Now place the Christmas tree in the Christmas tree stand and remove the net. To do this, cut it open from the bottom up and free the branches and twigs. Now you can straighten the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree will show its full splendor after about one day, which you should allow it at least to spread out.
The right place & the optimal care of the Christmas tree
A heap of misery instead of a festive Christmas tree spreads bad mood on Christmas Eve. Have you cared for it incorrectly? If you want your decorated Christmas tree to last a long time, you should choose the right location. It doesn't feel comfortable right next to the heater - and neither does a window, because drafts and sun don't agree with it. Now you know what your Christmas tree doesn't want, but what does it like? About one liter of water per meter per day. In addition, he is happy about a regular spraying of his needles. Often, freshener for cut flowers is also added to the water tank. However, the effectiveness of this is controversial.
The Christmas tree has had its day? This is how you dispose of it
Return the Christmas tree to its old home? If the Christmas tree has had its day, you should by no means dispose of it in the forest. Because here it decomposes extremely slowly. It is better to take the Christmas tree to the municipal collection point. In many communities, Christmas trees are even collected from the roadside. Please contact your local authority for more information. Can't I just burn the Christmas tree in my own fireplace? The branches and needles are not the problem here, because they dry out over the Christmas period. The trunk, however, has soaked up water and should therefore be allowed to dry for 12 to 24 months before stoking. In addition, conifers have a lot of resin that sprays out when burning. In open fireplaces you should therefore not burn the Christmas tree, in closed fireplaces the subsequent disposal of the resin will not be a pleasure. Excluded is this possibility of disposal of the Christmas tree, if it was treated in advance. Ask this directly at the time of purchase.
The Christmas tree stands: Now only decoration & tips for safety are missing
With the tips around the care, the installation, the disposal and Co. you can enjoy a wonderful Christmas tree over the Christmas holidays. Of course, this also includes the right decoration. Christmas tree balls are a classic: Place the larger ones at the bottom and the smaller ones at the top of the tree. To make the atmosphere even more sensual, do you like to decorate with candles? In this case, keep a small fire extinguisher or a bucket of water ready in case the Christmas tree gets too close to the candles. Now nothing stands in the way of a carefree Christmas!