Placing Your Christmas Tree: 5 Things to Consider
Christmas trees are such a fun tradition—they bring families together, bring out the child in everyone, and give you pride in your home. If you find yourself in the market for a tree, you’ll also find yourself wondering where to place it in your space. If you live in a single family dwelling, you probably have more choices than those living in apartments. Either way, there’s a perfect place for a tree in your home. Read on for five things to consider.
Whether you plan on putting your Christmas tree in your family room, dining area or living room (or if all of these rooms are one in the same), here are five things you should consider before choosing its final place.
Natural Light: Pick a place where your tree can be seen by those passing but where it won’t block natural light from entering your home. If your tree blocks the sun’s light, you’ll find yourself unnecessarily turning on lamps and overhead lights in the middle of the day and wasting energy. Also, natural light warms your space—let that warmth enter your home, not heat-up your tree.
Heating Elements: Pick a place where the tree will be away from heating elements, both forced air and radiator. Do this for two reasons: you don’t want your tree to become a fire hazard or block heating elements that warm your home. Blocking your heating elements will cause you to turn the thermostat up to accommodate.
Pathways: Your home has natural pathways where people walk between its various spaces: from the kitchen to the living room; from the kitchen to the dining room; from the dining room to the den. Depending on your home’s (or apartment’s) layout, place the tree away from these natural traffic ways. It will prevent visitors and dwellers from bumping the tree and knocking off needles as they pass.
Views: Finding a place where you can see your tree from multiple vantage points is a special treat: as you come in the front door; as you walk to the kitchen to make your morning coffee; coming down the stairs; sitting in the living room near the fire. The more you see your tree, the more you’ll appreciate the time you spent buying it, carrying it home, decorating it, and watering it.
Furniture: It’s not uncommon to move furniture around when bringing a Christmas tree into your home. If you’ve satisfied all of the above considerations, but have to move a side chair or table, that’s fine. Make your space work for you at the holidays: rearrange your seating so it can accommodate larger-than-usual groups; orient more of your seating towards the tree and/or your fireplace.
Make the holiday last all month long by loving your Christmas tree and it’s location. Feel the joy it brings every time you look at it as you imagine your family gathered around.
(Image: Martha Stewart)