Today is “National Christmas Tree Day” and if you’re getting a real tree this season, here are some tips from Popular Mechanics to keep it alive and thriving through the holidays:

• Make sure you cut an inch or two off the trunk before you set it up.  A fresh cut opens the tree’s pores, so it can soak up more water.  If you don’t do it, they’ll be blocked by sap, and the tree won’t last long.  It takes less than three hours for dried sap to block the pores again once its cut.
• Don’t put it too close to a heat source.  Heaters and radiators can dry it out fast and then it’s a fire hazard.  The best place for a tree is near a door or window, where it might get some fresh air once in a while.
• Don’t forget to water it.  Christmas trees soak up about a quart of water a day for every inch in diameter the trunk is…so if your tree’s trunk is four inches across, you’ll need to give a gallon of water every day. 

If you treat it well, your tree should last for five weeks…right through the New Year!