How soon should we take down our Christmas tree after the holiday? We didn’t get it until the week before Christmas and want to enjoy it more than a week. Also, how can we keep the needles on the tree and not on the carpet? Long after the tree is gone each year, needles stick to our feet even after we think we’ve done a good job vacuuming.
— J. Saldino, Edgewater
“If a tree is in good shape it will last a week or two after Christmas,” says Regas Chefas, owner of Gethsemane, Garden Nursery, 5739 N. Clark St. “They are usually good for four to five weeks once you bring them home.”
Last year, Chefas’ family kept their Fraser fir tree in the house for almost two months-from the week before Christmas until the first week of February.
“We simply got too busy, like a lot of people do, and weren’t able to take it down until then.”
When the tree starts to dry out, however, it’s important to remove it from the home, he says. Removal is easier when a tree bag is used. This also cuts down on the number of needles that fall to the floor.
A good way to keep the tree from drying out is to keep it well watered. Chefas says some trees drink water better than others. Fir trees tend to be thirsty. As far as a sure way to keep the needles on the tree, Chefas says nothing will do the trick short of glue, but he thinks leftover needles are part of the charm of having had a freshly cut tree in your home.
As the holidays come to a close be sure to heed this standard advice about Christmas-tree safety: Keep the tree away from heat sources such as radiators and fireplaces, and do not turn on the lights when no one is at home.
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