How to water your Christmas tree

Have you picked out your Christmas tree? These watering tips from AccuWeather will keep your tree in great shape throughout the holiday season:

• If you can't cut your own tree, ask for a fresh cut on the trunk. Remember that a tree is a live organism -- like a plant, get it in water as soon after the fresh cut as possible.
• If you wait too long to put your tree into water, dried sap forms a seal over the trunk and makes it nearly impossible for water to absorb.
• The tree will drink a lot in the first few days, so check it twice a day and keep the stand full.
• Experts say additives like tree preservatives and sugar solutions don't help, nor does drilling a hole in the base of the trunk.

SEE ALSO: Should you get a real or fake Christmas tree?

AccuWeather weighs the pros and cons of artificial Christmas trees and real Christmas trees so you can decide what's right for you.