Tips on Keeping a Real Christmas Tree Fresh

If you're worried about your Christmas tree wilting before making it to New Year's Day, there are some simple things you can do to keep it fresh. 

Make sure you're not keeping the house too hot, advises Jeff Sangillo, owner of Anne-Ellen Tree Farm on Daum Road in Manalapan for the past 12 years.

"If you're putting it in an area where there's a vent or a radiator, you want to turn that off so heat's not blowing on the tree," he said.

Making sure the tree has a fresh cut of about one inch off the bottom and continually watering it also can help it last through the holidays.

"That's the biggest thing you need to do, is have water in the stand," stressed Sangillo.

As far as the old wives tales about adding sugar or aspirin to the water to keep a real Christmas tree fresh, Sangillo reveals his secret.

"Everybody has something different they swear by, so it's hard to say what works, what doesn't. I put water in my tree. That's it, just water, and the tree lives," he said.

Sangillo also noted there are tree preservatives, such as Prolong, that are available on the market.

If your tree loses its pine fragrance, watering it has nothing to do with keeping the smell strong.

"What happens is, there's different varieties of trees and some trees have a stronger smell than others. The Balsams, the traditional Christmas trees that come out of Canada, actually have the strongest smell," Sangillo said.