Now we’re in the first full week of December, it’s time to get that Christmas tree. Folks who like the Yule tree fresh-cut have been warned to wait till later in the season, so the tree doesn’t dry out too much in the warmth of your living room and turn into a fire hazard. Garden-center owner Ted Brockshus says you’ve waited long enough.

While there are several kinds of tree, Brockshus says the most common kind sold in Iowa are Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. Balsam trees will hold their needles for around 21 days, so you’d bring them in later compared to the Fraser which will keep needles for 28 days on the average. While you’ve had to wait, it’s now within the window to buy either. Brockshus, who runs a garden center in Spencer, says it’s important to keep the tree holder filled up with water. Many people try adding something to the water to keep the tree healthy — a packet of the chemicals you get to keep cut flowers fresh, or some home remedy like aspirin, honey, sugar, soda pop, or bleach.

What you use is up to you, and he says you can find recipes on the internet. Most important is water, as he says in his own home he’s had fresh-cut Christmas trees take up several gallons of water at first. Brockshus says it’s important to keep an ample supply in the tree holder.