This Is the Best Time of the Season to Buy Your Christmas Tree, According to Farmers

This Is the Best Time of the Season to Buy Your Christmas Tree, According to Farmers

It's later than you may think.

There's no denying the magic the simple exercise of putting up a Christmas tree can bring to your home. There's something about the twinkling lights, the colorful baubles, and the fresh evergreen scent wafting through your home. Maybe it's nostalgia; maybe it's the promise of happy times shared with loved ones. Whatever it is, it just spells happiness.

RyanJLane / Getty Images

It's no surprise that the ritual seems to get moved up with every passing year. But experts say it's important not to jump the gun. "While having a tree in your home for a long time is enjoyable, there's a limit to how long you can keep a tree," says Tim O'Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association. Your best bet: Wait until after Thanksgiving. If you wait until after the big feast, you have a much better chance of your tree surviving through the Christmas season, says O'Connor.

Related: How to Replant Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays

Timeline isn't the only important consideration, though. When choosing a tree, touch and examine it before you decide it's "the one." "If it's dry and brittle and needles are falling off left and right, you don't want that tree," says O'Connor. "The branches should be pliable and soft."

Once you've settled on a tree, make sure to have about an inch cut off the stump before you leave the tree lot or the farm. This is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your tree survives, because it opens the veins on the bottom of the tree, allowing the plant to adequately soak up water, explains O'Connor. When you get the tree home, you want to get it in water within a few hours—even if just a bucket outside until you're ready to erect the tree, says O'Connor. If you can't get it water within that time frame, make another fresh cut before setting up your fir. Over the course of the first seven to 10 days, the tree will soak up a lot of water, he explains. To keep it healthy, check the water level frequently, adding more as necessary.

And remember: Christmas trees are like flowers—there's only so long they'll last, even under the perfect care. You'll know your tree has reached the end of its usable life when it begins to dry out, stiffen, and drop needles.