Christmas Tree Pick-Up
Bringing the Christmas Tree Home
Christmas is sneaking up on us with just 20 days to go! It got me thinking about the Christmas tree. My son has struggled to find any decent wild pine in his area or any pine that he can pinch a branch off for his Christmas tree this year. Instead, his go to for this year has been a glitzy artificial $12 tree from Kmart, not that great for the environment. Yes, it looks pretty cool, flashes and changes colour, showing off the star on top nicely, but there is fun lost in this plastic answer to what is a quintessential feature of Christmas. There is, however, fun to be had making the effort to go out and choose a real tree. Yes, that tangible, fragrance, with real leaves, real bark, and real spiders. This is the classic scent of Christmas that matches the delicious ham and turkey, custard and Christmas pudding, way better than any fake alternative.
All around the more populated areas of Australia there are numerous places that sell gorgeous live Christmas trees. From Tomalong Christmas Tree Farm, in New South Wales; to Chrissy Trees 4 You, in Queensland; to Adelaide Hills Christmas Trees, in South Australia; to Sunbury Christmas Tree Farm, in Victoria; to Santa’s Shaped Christmas Tree, in ACT; to Christmas Trees of Wanneroo, in Western Australia; or to Richmond Christmas Tree Farm, in Tasmania – these are just some of the places you can visit for bringing that perfect look and smell of Christmas back home for Christmas. Now is the time to head out and find that tree to decorate. Most places will offer a delivery service, but you can also do a pick-up of your own. Picking the tree up yourself is the most entertaining way of getting the tree and taking the kids/family/friends with you makes for an enjoyable and often humorous excursion.
This leads me to answering the question: how does one best bring a Christmas tree home? I mean they can be up to 12 ft tall, fat, and even a bit cumbersome. If you do have a trailer or a ute, then these vehicles are the best for an easy diy for Christmas tree collection. Take a rope or a tie down to make sure the tree is properly secured for the homeward journey.
But what about if you don’t have trailer, a ute, or even a truck or van? Well, the next best thing is to secure the tree to the roof of your car. If your car comes equipped with the roof rack, then you’re good to go. If you don’t have a roof rack, then you can pop a soft sheet over the roof of your car and position the tree on top before tying it down using tie downs. The tie downs can be anchored by lowering the windows enough for you to fasten the ends of the tie down to the grab handles inside the car or even on the lip protruding from the top of the door – if there is one. Just make sure that you are legal and that the tree doesn’t have too much of an overhang past the ends of our vehicle.
The other thing to keep in mind is that your field of vision can’t be blocked. Placing the tree trunk end at the front end of the car and the top of the tree pointing rearwards ensures that, as you travel back home, the wind drags neatly over the tree without whipping against the branches, potentially damaging the tree and the perfect look.
Most everyday hatchbacks, sedans, and wagons are good for carrying up to 75 kg on the roof. Others can carry more. SUVs, vans, and dual cab utes can usually handle 100 kg. However, do check your manufacturers recommendations before trying to put a heavyweight monster on your little Toyota Yaris. You can shrink the tree by lopping a bit of the bottom off the tree without losing out too much on the perfect shape.
Another way you can transport your freshly cut Christmas tree back to the house is inside the cabin of your car. If you’re not too prissy about the interior of your sedan or small hatch getting bits in it, and not too dismayed with a 6 ft tree rather than a 12 ft one, then sliding the tree through the front passenger door, over the lowered backrest, and through onto the rear seat is possible. Of course, a station wagon or hatchback can swallow a tree through the boot space and over the lowered rear seats. If it’s a sedan, then the top of the tree may need to poke out through the lowered front passenger window, particularly if it’s tall. Obviously, the smaller the tree, the easier it is for you to get the Christmas tree inside your car to transport home.
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start decorating, and the first thing to go up has to be the tree!
Level 2, 9 Help Street