Picking Your Christmas Tree: 6 Things You Didn't Know About The Holiday Symbol

Are you still looking for a robust, fragrant specimen, but you are afraid it might die in two weeks? Yes! That's what happens when you choose a real tree instead of a fake one. But if you select wisely, your tree can last longer than that!

When you go to your local Christmas tree farm, always buy the one that is already cut because the sap has already started its solidification. Check the needles, shake the tree and remember that few needles will fall out, but should't be lot. Always have the seller slice off an inch or two off the bottom right before you take it home to add the fresh cut effect.

To avoid having a hard time and prevent your decorations to fall, think of your ornament strategy in advance; choose your tree based on how thin, thick, tall, small, or dense you need it. The real reason behind selecting a real tree is the smell, if you want the scent to last a good choice is to use ProLong. This Christmas tree preservative will keep it fresher, greener and safer. By keeping your tree watered with ProLong you will find the tree will retain their needles longer in the dry heat of your winter home.

Holiday experts at Yankee Magazine shared with Latin Times a fun Christmas tree trivia, the most popular types of Tannenbaums and advice for picking and caring for the perfect Christmas tree.

Did you know?

1. The first indoor Christmas tree in America is thought to have been put up in 1777 in Windsor Locks, CT, by a German POW captured at the Battle of Bennington.
2. In 1923, Calvin Coolidge held the first National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the White House lawn.
3. The tallest tree ever to grace New York’s Rockefeller Center during the holidays was a 100-foot spruce cut in Killingworth, CT, in 1999.
4. Fraser Fir: Touted as the most popular tree in the U.S., the Fraser has strong branches, excellent needle retention, and a sweet-spicy scent. Needles are dark blue-green with silvery undersides; ½ to 1 inch long; blunted and pliable. Fun fact: Frasers have been used for the official White House Christmas tree more than any other species.
5. Be sure to measure the maximum diameter that your tree stand can hold, since cutting away bark from a too-fat trunk will shorten a tree’s life dramatically.
6. When a Christmas tree is cut, more than half its weight is water. Use a stand with at least a one-gallon reservoir, and make sure to keep it topped off.