Helpful tips for your Christmas Tree

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) — Christmas tree shopping can be stressful.

How do you know what to get?

Haley Mills Gudger the Tree Lot Manager at Bear Valley Farms suggests, “I would definitely check on the freshness of the tree. You can take ahold of the branches and pull them and see if there are any excess needles coming off. If it is green it shouldn’t shed any and it means it is really fresh.”

How do you take care of one?

“Everything has longer lifespan out of the sunlight. Keep it away from HVAC vents and use LED lights. Make sure you water it everyday. Also make sure that when you are buying your Christmas they are putting a fresh cut on it. That they take of a cookie size chunk off the bottom on the stem and then it will start drinking water. I like to use warm water. Check on it everyday,” said Gudger.

If you’re going to pick up your tree, make sure you bring the right stuff

“I mean a truck is always nice, but it is even easy to put things inside of vehicles on rainy days. We can always put something on top of a car. We ask how far they are driving. If they are going to Ooltewah or just going to North Shore and then use a different kind of Twine if they are driving far away. We tie it really well and use trunker hitches,” said Gudger.

There’s something magical about a live Christmas Tree.

Gudger says, “It is really special, mostly because I have been doing this for 15 years. A lot of the kids, I’m getting a little teared up, a lot of the kids have kind of outgrown me, which is really chattcute and it keeps me coming back.

And If you still need one Gudger’s location is at 600 manufacturers road underneath the giant white tent.

The store is open daily from 9 to 9.

All the Christmas trees at the store come from Bear Valley Farm in North Carolina