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Steps In Putting Up A Christmas Or Holiday Tree

Steps in putting up a Christmas tree isn't hard if you plan the entire process. I grew up having live trees, and I guess as long as Tom and I can, we will continue to have a live tree every holiday season. This page continues the weekly series of Christmas decorating. Being a landscaper and designer, there are a couple of important things to think about before you put up your live tree.

Decide whether you will cut your own, have someone cut it, or select a pre-cut tree.

Plan exactly where you are going to put your tree in your living space.

Have all materials needed ahead of time - protection of floors, tree skirt, tree stand, and string if needed.

Check the needles and overall health of the tree.

Make sure the height and width will work in the area you are putting up the tree.

I wanted to share with you the steps we took in getting our Christmas tree. Over the years we have cut down our own tree, gone and picked out a tree from a wholesaler that cut it down for us, and now we go to the nursery I used when I was landscaping. Twin Bridge Nursery in Greenville, South Carolina is a family owned business. All trees are grown on their own acres in North Carolina. I know they are freshly cut and brought directly to the nursery. This is important for your tree lasting the entire holiday season. Find out when the tree was cut. Below is a step by step of how we brought home the tree and properly put the tree up.

These two pictures show our tree in the back of my pick up truck. The tree is a good size and didn't need to be tied down. Depending on the size and what type of vehicle you have will determine if you need to tie or secure your tree for the trip home. Tom is taking the tree off the truck with the help of Larry, my brother-in-law.

I wanted to show you how the tree looks after it is off the truck. The tree itself is around eleven feet tall and about five and a half feet wide. Of course when planning the size, make sure you have the space so the tree has room to sprawl out once inside. All trees whether tied up ahead of time or just freely on a vehicle, will expand its branches once inside an interior space. In past years we have had trees up to fourteen feet high, but we were happy to get an eleven foot tree.

These next two photos shows Tom trimming the trunk. This is a very important step to make sure the trunk of the tree fits properly in the stand. Tom will always measure twice and cut once. The first picture shows him trimming the side of the trunk to fit the stand. The second photo he is cutting straight down through the trunk so the tree will be sturdy in the stand. In past years we have put the stand on outside, but in the past two years we bought a heavier stand, so will put stand on once inside.

Both Tom and Larry took an end and carried the tree along the sidewalk and up the steps. The bulk weight of the tree of course is at the trunk end. The steps are the toughest part, along with getting it through the doorway. You want to be gentle and try to protect your branches. Once the tree is in, set it down on the floor. When you have a large tree plan on taking breaks as you carry it as this will prevent injury.

The next two steps are very important in securing the stand to the tree. Tom goes and tightened up each screw in the stand. The second picture shows him double checking the security of the tree in the stand. Noticed how tight the fit is with the trunk of the tree and stand. This will make for a sturdy tree once it is standing.

Now comes the critical part of standing the tree up. One very important step when planning where to put your tree, never put a tree out in the center of the room. Have any of you ever done that and two days later you come home to your tree laying flat with broken ornaments and bulbs? Our oldest daughter did that one year and so did Tom's sister. Common mistake. Always put the tree near a wall where it can be secured by the stand and the wall.

Now back to standing the tree up. Depending on how big your tree is will determine how many people you will need to stand the tree up. Due to the size of the tree, Tom, Larry, and myself stood the tree up. Larry and I walked the tree up with Tom on backside guiding the tree. Of course with this size tree there is weight to it. Have your strongest person where the most weight is.

The tree is standing now and Tom is doing one final check of the security of the tree in the stand. Once again this step is so important when putting up a Christmas or holiday tree. He double checks the screws and we also check to make sure the tree is centered where we want it to be. Make sure you make room for the branches to sprawl out and not be too close to the wall. I also look for the balance in the room with the tree and other accents and furniture.

Another step that is very important once the tree is up and secured in the stand, reinforce the sturdiness with tieing string from a nail or hook on the wall to the tree. In the first photo Tom is tieing the string to the nail and then around the trunk of the tree. He does this on both sides of the tree. I took down two pictures that I had on the wall and the nails come in handy for this step. The second picture is another angle of Tom tieing the string to the nail.

The final picture, the tree is upright and totally secure. The extra time and steps you take when putting up your holiday or Christmas tree will ensure the safety of you, your family and room. One final step before thinking of putting lights, ornaments, and bulbs on, water the tree. We water the tree with hot water. This is a good tip as it will help the branches and trunk stay healthy. Well, what do you think? These are just some simple and basic steps to putting up a holiday tree.

Now comes the best part, decorating the trees with lights, ornaments, and favorite holiday bulbs. The next page in the series of Christmas decorating will be a look at how we decorate our Christmas tree. Once you have gone through the steps of putting the tree up, think about doing a theme for your tree. Our tree over the years have had a traditional look to them, but there are also many other ways to decorate your own tree. Feel free to share with us your own Christmas or holiday decorating, and trimming of your tree. We would love to see your own style, whether it is a live tree or an artificial tree.

How Do You Decorate For Christmas Or The Holidays

Do you have a favorite way to decorate your tree? Is there something special you do for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa? We love to see and hear about how you decorate your living space during the holidays. As you can see I will be sharing our home to yours. Feel free to share your decorating with others. We look forward to seeing your special seasonal decorations!

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