Have you ever considered a root-ball Christmas tree?  When I talk about it, few people know that you can do this, but buying the entire tree – roots and all- is my favorite way to do Christmas.  If you have a yard and could use some extra green, this is double awesome! You get the benefit of having a real tree and not having to cut one down to get it.

Root ball trees usually cost around $30 more dollars that cut trees, and the added benefit of getting to plant it after the holiday is very rewarding. Not only can we look out and see our last four years of Christmas trees happily growing, but we also have a couple 50ft tall pines in our yard which were the old Christmas trees of my husband’s grandmother!

They’re a little more work then a regular cut tree and much more work than an artificial tree.  They weigh about 300lbs, so have the right equipment is essential.

You’ll need a large tub in which to keep the tree and be able to water it.  We put gravel and bricks in the bottom of the tub also.  Both help to stabilize the root ball and keep water from pooling around the burlap.

Other helpful supplies are old towels, heavy gloves, and rope.  We place the empty tub on an old towel, roll the tree from the truck into the tub and use the towels to drag the tub into place.  Lot’s of rope help with the dragging and setting the tree up straight.

Notice I say ‘We’ a lot when in fact Matt did most of the heavy lifting. I did help to stabilize the tub once inside so that we could position the tree upright!  Like I said, it’s a little more work, but totally worth the hassle.

Super Bonus:  There is lots of room under the tree for big presents !

What kind of tree do you have?  Any funny stories?

Have a SPLENDID Monday!