A Sappy Log Home Company
Yes, those people that live in the great North, live the log home lifestyle, that hew timbers by hand, that chop and cut and haul and scribe and craft and build those custom log and timber homes no matter the time of year or weather, get sappy around the holidays. How can you not? The White Cedar homes we craft just scream out to be decorated and celebrated at this time of the year. Remember this post? What’s not to love?
Well, there is a small wrinkle, an ugly side, the other kind of ”sappy” to this yuletide cheer. Nothing channels the Dad in the furnace scene of A Christmas Story or kills the Christmas spirit faster than hassles with the very center of all the attention of this season — the Christmas tree. From experience, some of our quick tips for seasonal expletive removal:
- Measure twice… The old adage should be applied here. Once you’ve chosen a spot in your home, it’s time to measure the room. Determine both the ceiling height and width of your space….and the width of doorways for the tree’s journey there. Write these numbers down for safekeeping and bring them along when you begin to look or shop.
- Once you’re perusing the lot, picking the right tree is like picking ripe mango: you should smell and touch. Test the branches. Crush the needles in your hand and then check the scent. Bounce the tree by holding it a few inches above the ground and dropping it. Make absolutely sure the tree’s trunk fits your stand. Check those measurements that you brought… Fir trees are the traditional Christmas tree for most Americans because they have the key qualities: great fragrance, short sturdy needles and branches and good needle retention. If keep watered and not in a hot room, they’ll hold their needles up through Christmas. There are several popular varieties. In the United States, the Fraser Fir is the most popular Christmas tree. Pines look and smell like a traditional Christmas tree, are easily pruned to a good shape in the field and grow well in the warmer climates. But they can produce a lot of sap (that bad “sappy” thing again…) and that is sticky. Needle retention usually is very good. Scotch Pine is most common pine Christmas tree; stiff branches; stiff, dark green needles one inch long; holds needles for four weeks; needles will stay on even when dry; has open appearance and more room for ornaments; keeps aroma throughout the season. Spruce are generally more like the firs in appearance, with short, stiff needles and branches that hold ornaments well; Blue and White Spruce have a particularly beautiful color.
- Once the tree is home, prep it. Using your saw, cut off the bottom half-inch to inch of the trunk. This allows the tree to begin soaking up water immediately and removes any calluses that may have formed on pre-cut trees at the farm. We have all seen what happens to the tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas…
- A biggie — the tree stand and general stability. Uncle Fred may be stumbling around during your holiday gathering, likely using the wall or furniture to keep from falling over, but your tree shouldn’t be. You know we love all things that are “better at being better”. Enter the KRINNER GENIE XXL TREE STAND. The Krinner grips the tree trunk with five claws that you tighten by stepping on a ratcheting foot pedal, instead of turning a set of bolts into the bottom of the tree trunk, like nearly every other tree stand. This means an average-size tree can be set up with just one person. No other tree stand does anything like it. So far, even Bernese Mountain Dog proof…
- Christmas lights — we’re not going there; it was easier to come up with a cure for Polio than solve that one…
Have a merry one, all!
