Tradition

Do you recognise or remember this sweet picture?
Everyone knew that the holiday season had begun when the family went to pick out their tree. Some lucky ones could go out into the forest or to a farm, others simply went to where some enterprising spirit had brought a caravan or set up a tent in, say, a parking lot, surrounded by masses of trees in all sizes.

Back home the whole family would decorate the tree. Gifts would be wrapped and placed underneath it. And, on Christmas morning, the family would gather together around the tree to distribute the gifts.

Customs vary from country to country; in some places, the gifts are handed out on Christmas Eve, elsewhere Father Christmas has to arrive first!
Remember the special smell of a real tree? The feeling of the needles – and sometimes the stickiness of resin – as you decorated the tree?

Such memories and traditions – along with a real Christmas tree – have become for many an integral part of family life as well as a vital symbol of the holiday season itself.
This tradition continues to this day as millions of families around the world celebrate with a real Christmas tree.

History
Celebrating Christmas with a real tree has been a tradition for over 400 years, although it gained significantly in popularity towards the end of the 19th century.
At one time, all Christmas trees were cut from natural stands (or straight out of the forest). As you can imagine, these wild trees looked nothing like today's professionally grown and pruned trees.

Today, 98% of Christmas trees are grown on plantations, trees ‘designed’ for their strength and harmonious appearance.

How to get the most out of your tree this Christmas
Here are some helpful hints when selecting a tree:

Do a freshness test. (This will not be needed if you are cutting the tree yourself as you know it is fresh!) Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. If the tree is fresh, very few needles should come off in your hand. Shake or bounce the tree on its stump. You should not see an excessive amount of green needles fall to the ground. Some loss of interior brown needles is normal and will occur over the lifetime of the tree.

Once you've chosen your tree, keep it in a sheltered, unheated area such as a porch or garage to protect it from the wind and sun until you are ready to set it up and decorate it.

Before you set up your tree, make a fresh, straight cut across the base of the trunk about 1 cm (¼”) up from the original cut. Place the tree in a tree stand that holds at least 4 l (1 gallon) of water or more.

Warning: keep the tree stand filled with water. A seal of dried sap will form over the cut stump in 4-6 hours if the water drops below the base of the tree, preventing the tree from absorbing water later when the tree stand is refilled. If a seal does form, make another fresh cut.

Water the tree: a tree will absorb as much as 4-5 l of water in the first 24 hours and 1 or more litres a day thereafter. Water is important because it prevents the needles from drying and dropping off and the boughs from drooping. Water also keeps the tree fragrant. Water prevents the tree from drying out and loosing colour.

Other Do's and Don'ts: keep your tree away from heat and draft sources like fireplaces, radiators and even TV sets. Test your light cords and connections before hanging them on the tree to make sure they're in good working order. Don not use cords with cracked insulation or broken or empty sockets. Also be sure to unplug the lights before you go to bed or leave the house. Never overload electrical circuits.

Sensible precautions such as these will help preserve the unique beauty and tradition that only a real Christmas tree can provide.