New Year's holidays cannot be imagined without the appropriate attributes: sparkling lights, tangerines, sparkling champagne in crystal glasses, snow-white snowflakes. They make the New Year unique and special. But the main thing that embodies the spirit of the holiday and creates a magical New Year's atmosphere is of course the Christmas tree. How to choose a Christmas tree, to put a live or artificial beauty at home, how to prolong life after a holiday - you will learn about this from our article.
Spruce, fir or pine?
A living plant has a fascinating aroma, and besides, the natural beauty of the tree cannot be compared with any, even the most expensive and luxurious artificial herringbone. There are several rules for choosing a Christmas tree:
- Take care of your purchase in advance: the closer the holiday, the less assortment is offered. Plan your shopping in the morning to pick a beautiful, fluffy tree in daylight.
- Measure in advance the space where the tree is supposed to flaunt. Do not expect that "by eye" you will be able to determine whether a fluffy beauty is right for you.
- The Christmas tree bazaars are the best place to buy a Christmas tree. They usually open until the 20th of December and finish their work just before the holiday.
Before purchasing a live Christmas tree, read the rules on how to choose a natural tree, then an elegant Christmas tree will delight children and adults for a long time.
Traditionally, an ordinary spruce is considered a New Year's attribute. But recently, many families prefer to plant fir or pine. Fir is the most expensive tree, but the overpriced is understandable. The fir needles are fluffy, the needles are long, bright green, and they almost do not prick, so even small children can dress it up. It will stand in the house much longer than a pine or spruce, and the needles hardly crumble. One of the disadvantages of this tree is that there is practically no specific coniferous smell, so it is better to immediately buy a chemical flavoring agent with the fir.
In the United States, most residents prefer to put such a unique tree as the Fraser fir for the Christmas holidays. The needles of this plant remain bright green and lush for a long time, do not fall off, do not turn yellow. At room temperature, the tree gives off a fragrant resin, the smell of which spreads throughout the room.
Pine is chosen for its affordable price and appearance. Unlike Christmas trees, it has longer, fluffy, not too prickly needles. It takes longer to crumble, the smell is more intense, but this type of Christmas tree has one significant drawback: the wood emits a sticky resin, which causes certain inconveniences.
What to choose - fir, spruce or pine, everyone decides for himself. In our country, since Soviet times, it has been believed that Christmas trees are a symbol of a family holiday. But more and more countries are choosing living trees such as pine and fir, which stay fresh longer and do not fall off.
How to choose a Christmas tree for the new year 2020, step by step instructions:
- Measure the part of the room where the New Year's beauty will stand.
- Go shopping in advance, otherwise there is a risk that on December 31, scanty, ugly Christmas trees will remain. But on the eve of the New Year, the trees are sold at a good discount.
- Learn the rules for transporting the tree so as not to damage the fluffy legs on the road.
- There are tricks on how to extend the life of a Christmas tree. She does not like sudden changes in temperature, so it is better not to bring a tree into the house from frost.Do not immediately decorate the forest beauty, since it takes a little time for her to fluff up her green legs.
- When all the actions to prolong the freshness of the spruce have been completed, you can take out toys, garlands, snowflakes and start decorating the tree.
Artificial or Alive?
Before the arrival of the long-awaited holidays, the question arises - which tree to choose for the New Year. Santa Claus will bring gif.webpts in any case, regardless of which Christmas tree was purchased - live or artificial. Perhaps for several years in a row you put a living tree, but this time you decided to protect yourself from many needles and buy a plastic beauty. Or vice versa - every New Year there is an artificial product in your house, and in 2020 they decided to arrange a real holiday of childhood, which cannot be without a natural coniferous smell. Both options have their positive and negative sides.
The main criterion for choosing a Christmas tree in the presence of small children in the house is safety. For parents of children with allergies, it is better to purchase an artificial tree that is easy to clean, since coniferous resins can cause an allergy attack.
The most important advantage of natural wood is its unique coniferous aroma. No flavor can replace the magic New Year's smell of a real Christmas tree. But it is worth considering that the decorated tree will stay in the apartment for a little more than a week, and whether it is necessary to destroy it in order to throw it away later.
A significant disadvantage of living spruce is that gradually green needles turn yellow and crumble. Live spruce requires additional manipulations in order to stay fresh longer. If you want to put a live Christmas tree, buy a tree in a pot, and plant it in open ground after the New Year and Christmas holidays.
Backyard owners sometimes use potted cypress trees as a Christmas tree. After the holidays, trees are planted outside.
The advantages of artificial trees:
- A wide range of. Christmas trees of different lengths, degree of fluffiness, colors, with toys, LED, etc. are on sale.
- The artificial Christmas tree is easy to assemble and disassemble, and during storage it does not take up much space.
- After the holidays, housewives do not need to clean the room from crumbling needles.
- Artificial Christmas trees are safe and hypoallergenic.
- The most important advantage of an artificial Christmas tree is that buying it helps to preserve wildlife.
According to statistics, more and more families prefer to put an artificial Christmas tree in the house. The lack of coniferous aroma can be easily replenished by placing vases with spruce branches around the apartment, decorating them with tinsel and toys.
How to choose and buy a live Christmas tree?
Usually, the main New Year's attribute is purchased in the forestry or at specialized Christmas tree bazaars.
What types of plants can be represented here:
- Norwegian spruce;
- blue spruce;
- Nordman fir;
- noble spruce;
- Scots pine;
- white pine.
Each variety has a special shape, so do not rush: it is better to look for exactly the tree that will look good indoors. Calculate in advance what size the forest beauty should be. If she stands in the corner, a not too fluffy tree will do. In the event that the Christmas tree flaunts in the center of the room, its branches should be even and spreading. The size of the tree matters, since too small a tree will get lost among the pieces of furniture, and a large one can rest against the ceiling and lose its appearance.
How to choose a good Christmas tree, advice from experts:
- The needles of the tree should be smooth and uniform in color. Tear off the needle and rub it between your palms. If it crumbles, does not rub, does not have a characteristic coniferous smell, refuse to purchase such a plant.
- You can check the freshness of the Christmas tree as follows. Take the top of the tree and hit the ground.If needles begin to pour in, she will not stand in the house for a long time.
- According to the standards, the trunk girth should not be less than 6 cm.
- Good spruce has uniform density and uniform color.
- Iron the twigs - they shouldn't be too prickly, and the needles shouldn't stay in your hands.
- Resin appears on the cut of a fresh tree. The more there is, the better.
- The trunk and branches should be free of dark spots, damage, mold.
- The branches must be flexible, otherwise they will not withstand the weight of the New Year's decorations.
After a suitable tree has been selected, take another good look at it, twist it, pay attention to the lower branches - they should be directed upwards.
Usually, green trees are bought at the Christmas tree market - this is the most reliable place where you can buy a fluffy Christmas tree at an affordable price. In large cities, on the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays, many retail facilities for the sale of Christmas trees are opening. It is better to choose a bazaar, which is located near the house, to avoid transportation by transport.
How to choose a pine for the New Year, what to look for:
- The cut should be uniform in color, without a bright dark stripe along the edge.
- The needles should not crumble. Tap the tree on the ground a few times and make sure the needles stay in place.
- Fresh needles do not break when bent, but bend. They should have a pleasant coniferous aroma, be soft, not prickly.
- The trunk of a good tree is even, without spots, mold, with drops of resin, and its appearance should be healthy.
Where can you buy a live tree:
- Christmas tree bazaar;
- forestry;
- supermarket;
- online store.
Some irresponsible citizens cut Christmas trees in the forest in order to save money. You need to know that illegal action is punishable by large fines, so deciding to save money, you can pay tens of times more.
If you want to cut down a tree by yourself for the New Year, you must first purchase a felling ticket. First, you need to find out in which forestry they sell coupons for a log house. Then a state fee is paid and a permit document is issued for the felling of a tree in a certain place. You just have to go there and cut down a green beauty for the house.
Forestry allows cutting down living trees only in the place where thinning of plantings will take place in the spring.
Recommendations for choosing an artificial Christmas tree
Artificial Christmas trees of various manufacturers can be found on sale. The assortment and price range are so wide that it is sometimes difficult to settle for something specific.
Tips on how to choose a quality Christmas tree:
- Move your hand against the "growth" of the needles. Soft needles should immediately straighten out, and hard needles should not crumble.
- The most convenient constructions for assembling an artificial tree resemble an umbrella - they are just as easy to fold and unfold. But these trees are usually expensive, so preference is given to trees that are collected by twig.
- Pay attention to the material from which the tree is made. PVC is the most durable, but paper with a special impregnation will last no longer than two to three years.
- The seller is obliged to provide a product quality certificate. Low grade synthetic materials can release harmful substances that are amplified by exposure to light and heat. Especially if you have small children in your home, buy a quality artificial Christmas tree to be sure of its safety.
Transportation and care
A few tips from experts on how to extend the life of a New Year tree:
- Be careful when transporting the Christmas tree. Tie the branches after purchase, cover with a sack or cloth, and bring them home immediately. If you bought a tree far from home, do not carry it in the trunk or in the cabin: a special mount on the roof of the car is suitable for this.
- You can not bring the tree from the cold to a warm room.Leave the tree at the entrance for a while so that there is no sudden temperature drop.
- Bring the tree in front of the head to avoid breaking branches.
- Do not place the Christmas tree near heating devices: batteries, heaters, fireplaces, stoves. This must be done not only for safety reasons, but also so that the Christmas tree needles remain green and fragrant for a long time.
- Dip the tree into a bucket of water and periodically spray the needles from a spray bottle, and also add room temperature liquid to the container. It is also permissible to put the Christmas tree in wet sand or earth.
Dissolve a tablespoon of granulated sugar in two liters of water, add a tablespoon of vinegar and an aspirin tablet. Such recharge will prolong the life of a green tree.
The lower broad branches are sometimes cut off. Do not throw them away, it is better to make a simple New Year's composition. Place the branch on a wide flat dish, decorate with Christmas balls, pine cones, tangerines, and a large red and gold candle. Twigs can be arranged in vases throughout the home for a captivating scent to create a magical New Year's atmosphere.
Taking care of an artificial Christmas tree is not at all difficult: it is enough to rinse it under the shower and dry it thoroughly. If the tree is decorated with LED lights, you cannot put it under water. In this case, the branches are wiped with a damp sponge or cloth. Paper Christmas trees are allowed to be vacuumed, but washing is strictly prohibited.
The stand for the artificial beauty does not need additional care, it is enough to wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it.
Which tree to choose - artificial or live, everyone decides for himself. The main thing is that the preparation for the New Year holidays brings joy to both adults and children.
