Staying safe with live Christmas trees

Thanksgiving is behind us and the Christmas season has finally begun. Many El Paso families have started to decorate, and if you’re keeping a live tree this year we have some tips to keep it green and keep it safe.

“The best place should always have enough light, preferably in front of a window,” said Carlos Hernandez, who has sold Christmas Trees for more than a decade.

“We always put it in a place more or less in the middle of the room and toward our staircase. We have it away from outlets and furniture, people can walk all around it,” said Todd Funkhouser, who has used the trees for years.

Placing is about more than making sure the trees have light here they are in your home and what you cover them with can also keep you safe.

“Don’t place trees near heaters or fireplaces, the extra heat can kill the tree and make it a fire hazard,” Hernandez.

“We use LED lights now which don’t heat up, and if they break they can’t catch on fire,” Funkhouser said.

But being safe starts even when you’re first getting the tree.

“Try not to get a tree bigger than you can handle yourself in terms of getting on your vehicle, getting it off your vehicle and getting it in the house,” said Funkhouser.

“The trees still need to be watered, especially since bright lights will keep them more active,” Hernandez said.

If the tree absorbs it all it could dry out, making things messy and a lot more combustible.

Both men said if properly cared for Christmas trees can last well beyond January the sixth, the official end of Christmas season.