If you're a fan of having a real Christmas tree, there are a few ways you can help the tree last longer, and clean up fewer needles!

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The Great Christmas Tree Debate

Every year you have two choices when it comes to Christmas trees, artificial trees or a real tree.  I personally was always team artificial because it's what we always had growing up.  I loved that it was fairly low maintenance, I could pop it up, throw some lights on it, and boom, I have a Christmas tree.  However, my husband grew up with real Christmas trees, and ever since we bought our house having a real tree has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

There are some downsides to having a real tree though, they require upkeep, you have to keep them watered, and your home will require a fair amount of vacuuming and sweeping to clean up the dropped needles. However, there are a few things you can do to make your Christmas tree last longer and drop fewer needles.

Make Your Christmas Tree Last Longer

Many people start getting their Christmas decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and if you're planning on heading out to the tree lot to pick out the perfect Christmas tree there are a few things that you can do right when you get the tree to start the process of making it last longer.

Before you Leave the Tree Lot or Tree Farm

According to Pick Your Own Christmas Tree, before you leave the tree lot ask them to shake it in their mechanical tree shaker, because this will make the tree drop already loose needles eliminating those from falling in your house.  However, if they don't have a mechanical shaker, Pick Your Own Christmas Tree recommends picking your tree up off the ground a few inches and banging it down on the hard ground, as that will also cause enough vibration to drop loose needles (bonus, it also helps get rid of pests too)!

The other thing you need to do before even leaving the tree lot is get a fresh cut on the end of the tree and get the tree in some water as soon as you get home. However, if the tree lot doesn't have a saw to cut the end of the tree off, cut it as soon as you get home before you put the tree in the stand.

Once you Get the Tree Home

Pick Your Own Christmas Tree says that once you get the tree up there are a few ways you can help prolong the life of your tree.  They recommend keeping your tree displayed away from heat sources like fireplaces, vents, and direct sunlight.  The reason is because the heat will dry out the tree in fact they say dropping the temperature in the room where your tree is displayed will help prolong the life of the tree. They also recommend stringing LED lights on your tree as they produce less heat.

Of course, a few other tips are to make sure your tree stays watered, and cold water works best for watering your tree.  By following these tips you should be able to prolong the life of your tree, which also means you'll spend less time cleaning up needles!

Pick Your Own Christmas Tree is a great resource and has a great guide on ways to properly care for your real Christmas tree.