- The majority of people want to know how fresh the tree is. The way to to that is to bounce and shake the tree on the spot to see how many needles fall to the ground. Or you could try an alternative method, slightly more effective, grab a branch and run it through your hands and observe how many needles fall off.
- Check the general aspect of the tree: if the branches look symmetric to one side and the other of the trunk; also check if the trunk of the tree is straight.
- Bring your tape measure. Always measure everything before you buy anything. You want to know in advance how tall and wide is the room you're going to put the tree in so you can work out the dimensions of the tree; don't forget to take into account the space some furniture might occupy in the room.
- A lot of Christmas trees go through very long journeys to get to your local garden centre (unless they're grown directly there) for you to buy them. That means that the bit were the tree was chopped off might have healed making the surface thicker and the tree to absorb less water. The trick is to cut an inch or so above the base and put the tree in some water extending it's life.
Merry Christmas!
