6 Hazards Your Christmas Tree Is Posing to Your Home 

Whether you have a live or artificial one in your home, Christmas trees can be as baneful as they are beautiful.

Not only are there dangers associated with having a tree in the house, there are also things to worry about inside the tree before they ever make it inside. 

Freshly cut Christmas trees and the critters within

If you cut your own Christmas tree, or even if you buy a live tree from a lot, make sure you do a thorough inspection before bringing the tree into your home. 

Critters like squirrels and chipmunks may have made their homes inside the branches, but there are smaller creepies to consider as well. 

Spiders, bark beetles, and mites have all been known to live in classic Christmas trees like Douglas and Fraser firs. Even praying matis lay eggs in the branches, which can become active indoors once temperatures warm up.

Fortunately, a simple fix is to give your tree a good shake before bringing it inside. If you have a leaf blower, you can even give the tree a once-over with that, and you should be fine. 

Where to place your tree to avoid a fire

When placing your tree in your living room, den, or family room, the aesthetic is important, but homeowners should also be cognizant of heat sources in the room. 

Keep the tree at least 3 feet from any heat source, including fireplaces, wood stoves, heating vents, radiators, and space heaters.

If you’re placing the tree in your kitchen, place it on the opposite side of your stove.

And out of an abundance of caution, make sure that the tree in no way blocks potential escape routes, in case of an emergency. 

Your Christmas tree stand is also important

Place your tree in a sturdy stand away from fire hazards, but also doors and windows, to avoid damage should the tree fall—and keep exits clear. 

If your tree is not properly secured, it could fall over, causing injuries. It’s also possible, if you’re using older, incandescent lights on your tree, that if the tree falls over and the lights stay plugged in after the fall, heat can build up at damaged points and could start a fire.

How to put lights on a tree correctly

The best choice for lights is modern, LED string lights. Incandescent lights get much hotter than LEDs and could pose a fire hazard.

Before plugging in any string of lights or hanging them on the tree, check the wiring for cracks, pinches, missing bulbs and wear. Discard any damaged strings and replace.

If you have an artificial tree with lights already in place, do the same inspection before plugging in. 

As you’re placing your lights, wrap them loosely around or along the tree’s branches. Tight wrapping traps heat and stresses the wire.

If it’s alive, water it

Live Christmas trees pose a very real danger to homes, so it’s important to keep the tree from getting too dry. 

“A dry Christmas tree can burn like a forest fire in your home,” says Massachusetts State Fire Marshal  Jon M. Davine. 

“Water it every day, or firefighters might have to do it for you.”

His department actually recommends taking specific precautions before even bringing the tree inside. 

When selecting a fresh tree, look for one with needles that bend and stay fixed to the branches. If a tree’s needles crack, or if they fall off when you run your hand along a branch, the tree is already drying out and you should choose a different tree.

Additionally, make sure to have at least 2 inches cut from the bottom of the trunk before you put it up, as sap can clog an older cut and prevent it from absorbing water in the stand.

For the first few days of having the tree home, it’s a good idea to water it at least twice a day, then once a day should be fine. 

Don’t listen to Taylor Swift

She might want you to keep the Christmas lights up til January, but you should dispose of your tree shortly after the holiday to be safe.

A well-tended live tree can last four or five weeks with regular watering and attention, but after that, it will start to dry out, regardless of watering.

At that point, it’s safer to recycle the tree than hang on to it.