Keeping Your Christmas Tree Fresh

How much do you know of the origins of our natural Christmas decorations plus top tips to prevent needles dropping.

Holly, Ivy and other greenery were originally used to celebrate the Winter Solstice, ward off evil spirits and celebrate new growth. In pagan times, Holly was thought to be a male plant and Ivy a female plant. An old Midlands tradition says that whatever one was brought into the house first, tells you whether the man or woman of the house would rule that year! But it was unlucky to bring either into a house before Christmas Eve!

Mistletoe was hung to preserve the house from lightning or fire. According to ancient custom a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of mistletoe were obliged to kiss. A berry should be plucked each time and when the all the berries are plucked the privilege ceases.

Christmas trees can be traced back to the 15th or 16th century in Germany becoming popular elsewhere later in the 19th century. The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts or dates. In the 18th century, it was illuminated by candles, which have now been replaced by Christmas ‘fairy’ lights and a whole host of other decorations.

How to look after your Christmas Tree and prevent needle loss

Ensure that you buy a fresh tree. Check that the tree is fresh by gently running your fingers down the length of one of the lower branches. The needles should stay fast.
Place the tree in a bucket of water if you are not going to take it into your house immediately. Place bucket in a cool, dry place out of the wind so that the tree can drink
water.
Saw off the bottom 1″ (3cm) of the trunk just before you take the Christmas tree inside. This creates a fresh cut and opens up the pores in the bark, which otherwise block up with sap within a few hours of being cut. The tree is then able to drink water through these pores via capillary action.
Try not to expose your Christmas tree to sudden changes in temperature. On a very cold day/night, many gardeners are careful not to bring a plant from the outdoors straight into a very warm room.
Try to position your tree away from any heat sources like radiators. Heat will dry out your tree faster, so the further from its source the better.
Place your tree in plain water – not soil or sand which blocks the pores in the bark. This is best achieved using a specially designed Christmas tree stand. Don’t waste hours trying to make your Tree stand up straight in an ordinary bucket, using just bricks or stones!
Keep the Christmas tree stand topped up with water. It may drink 2-3 pints (1-2 litres) of water per day, depending on its size and your central heating settings.
This is very important as once the water level drops below the tree’s trunk, sap will re-seal
the bark within a few hours, preventing the tree from drinking any further water – even if you
then re-fill the Christmas tree stand. If it does dry out. You don’t want to have to saw off the
bottom inch of the trunk again!