5 Easy Steps to Keep Your Tree Fresh All Christmas Long!

Let's face it: Nothing beats the scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree.

My family has always bought real trees ever since I was a little kid, sometimes even paying the extra money to have them frosted. So pretty!

But as you very well know if you've ever bought a real tree for the holidays, it can be difficult some years to keep it fresh for the entire season. If you don't water it properly, or heaven forbid you already purchase a dead tree on the lot, all the needles fall out and it turns brown and ugly right away.

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Well here's a simple recipe that my family uses, and it works every year:

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Getty Images
1
Go to your favorite lot and pick out your perfect tree
Make sure they give you a fresh cut of at least four inches. (Make sure you have four extra inches cut off) And bring it on home!
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Getty Images
2
Boil some water
Boil a gallon of water (or just a large kitchen pot). Add a quarter cup of Karo syrup and a half teaspoon of bleach to the boiling water.
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Getty Images
3
Add the mix to the tree stand
CAREFULLY pour the mixture in to the tree stand with the tree in place (I actually have a tree funnel that helps me not burn myself).
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Getty Images
4
Let it sit
Let the tree stand overnight. (Don't decorate it yet!)
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Getty Images
5
Check level of water then decorate
If it doesn't look like the tree has absorbed any water, then the tree is dead and take it back to the lot to exchange for a new one. (Which we've done before!) If the tree takes water, then continue steps 2-4 until you are finished with Christmas!

Here's why you have to keep checking the water level: When you cut a tree, it sends sap to the wound and it hardens, making it difficult to absorb any water at all. So you want an extra four inches cut off to make a fresh wound so the bark is nice and soft.

The Karo syrup feeds the tree the sugar it needs (like the sap used to heal the wound/cut you made). Pouring the boiling water keeps the bark soft and able to absorb the mixture! So you will have a fresh and healthy tree all month long.

Merry Christmas!

Categories: Lifestyle