How to Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree

Christmas trees on a Christmas tree farm
The University of Minnesota Extension’s horticulture experts offer a few tips for picking the perfect Christmas tree this year.
  1. Run a branch through your lightly closed hand. If the branch loses a lot of needles, it’s not healthy.
  2. Choose a variety that meets your needs—Scots pine for needle retention, Balsam firs for that piney smell, or Fraser firs for sturdy branches.
  3. Trim the trunk before putting it in the stand, and keep it well watered throughout the season. (Per day, that’s one quart of water per inch of trunk diameter.)