Christmas Decorating: How early is too early?

[eDave]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I bought a real tree from Home Depot the first year in my home (2003).

It's soooo dry and hot here, even December, that the tree barely lasted two weeks.

I just purchased our third tree since and I'm hoping it'll last 5 years.

AZ here. Cut a couple of inches off the bottom, put the tree in a bucket of hot, sugary water overnight. Do it again in the morning for a few hours. Then mount in your stand, put a teaspoon of sugar in the water reservoir at each water refill (hot).

Mine last through New Years.