How Do You Keep Your Tree From Drying Out?

Well it's that time of year that I pull out my lumberjack roots, and share my extensive skills on how to cut down your Christmas tree and KEEP your tree from drying out.

While getting an artificial tree is WAY more convenient, less messy and time consuming, cutting one down yourself can be a fun day for the family. It WON'T be as bad as the beginning of Christmas Vacation, unless you cut it down on private property, and forget the saw. It can also be a fun memorable date, with pictures and videos, which you will see below.

For as many years as I can remember, we would cut down out tree. It started with my Dad, and each year, it was a big deal. I need the scent of a fresh cut tree each year. It's not Christmas to me, without the pine needle, sap-smelling mess, we call Christmas.

Each year, I look forward to hitting the tree farm and asking the young bearded attendant:

Son, find me a tree that represents who I am. 

Bearded Attendant:

Sir, we don't sell fake...

According to tree experts at Viewpoints:

-Make sure your tree stand is big enough for the tree and the water it will need

-Water, water, water

Always keep fresh-cut trees in water

Don’t add sugar, Sprite or any other additives, according to longtime Christmas tree farmer Damian Prause. He recommends watering trees twice a day, and even more often than that, in the beginning if you notice the tree drinking more water.

Location is key-don’t place your tree in a window where it will get full sun. That will dry out the tree faster

Jay Beau added tips:

If you choose a pre-cut tree, ask the attendant to make a fresh, even cut at the bottom. A fresh cut, opens the tree to help absorb the water, quicker and faster when you get it home.

Buy your tree stand early in the season as the the stores run out fast!

I hope these quick tips help you keep your tree from drying out!

Now, for a complete tutorial on how to CUT your tree, take a look:

There is nothing like a holiday movie to put you in a good mood, and lift your spirits. We all have our favorites that we watch year after year. Ever wonder how your favorite compares to everyone else's? The list is out of the most-rewatched holiday classics.

This list is based on a poll by Yahoo and YouGov, and they came up with the top 10. In talking about the poll, Pamela Rutledge, the director of the independent Media Psychology Research Center, talks about why some holiday films are so loved. She says that first and foremost, they make us feel something. She told Yahoo Entertainment that they let us tap into our emotions. So whether you're laughing, crying, or even just going "awwww," it allows you to experience emotions that are associated with the power of connection, compassion and empathy.

Rutledge also says that holiday movies trigger nostalgia for "the good old days," by tapping into tradition. Why? she says that, "The human brain is funny. It tends to remember happy events with a bit of fairy dust, amplifying the glow and heightening our enjoyment of positive memories. [The holiday favorites] become annual rituals, signifying the holiday season as much as Christmas carols playing at the mall."

It's pretty simple. We watched it, we loved it, it made us feel good, and we want to do it again. I don't know about you but I am a huge fan of re-watching shows and movies. Some of these movies and shows become comforting to us, and can be self-care. Why wouldn't we want to feel better? Lately it feels like life is very heavy and we could all use a break. The holidays couldn't come at a better time.

Here are the top 10 most-rewatched holiday classics.

There's always a fight over whether or not this is a holiday movie or not. I would say no, but what do you think?

This classic came out in 1947 and is about an old man going by the name of Kris Kringle who fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day parade. 

I should be ashamed that I've never seen this, but it must be good because it has a 2 and a 3.

This 1946 movie is about an angel sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

One of Melissa's holiday favorite. She says that Clark W. Griswold will have you checking each and every bulb on your Christmas lights until the end of time.

This one is up higher for me personally, and every year has me screaming, "Santa, I know him!"

Oh Rudolph. How can we not love the movie that introduced us to the Island of Misfit Toys and Yukon Cornelius.

This dance scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas is enough to make you watch year after year. Love it!

Guess there's a reason that networks have marathons and run this movie around the clock. You can just jump in and out whenever you want.

The movie that launched Macaulay Culkin into stardom. He stars as Kevin who gets left at home by his family going on a Christmas vacation, and has to protect the family home from burglars.