Looking for live?

If you prefer to have a live tree rather than an artificial one, Lowcountry Christmas tree lots are preparing to sell them starting Friday. Clemson University's Home and Garden Information Center provides tips to help ensure that you buy a fresh tree that stays that way throughout the season:

--When the branch of a fresh precut tree is pulled, a few brown needles may fall, but green ones should not. Green needles also should not fall if the tree is gently shaken. In addition, needles on a fresh tree should spring back when bent and become more fragrant when broken.

--Once you take your tree home, recut an inch from the trunk and sit it in water immediately. If it must be stored outside, keep it on a porch or in a garage so that it won't dry out from heat, sun or wind. Even when stored under good conditions, a tree can drink more than a gallon of water per day.

--Clean out any dead needles, small limbs or grass from the tree before taking it into the house, the center says. Also, recut it about half an inch from the stem, and once inside, put it in a stable tree holder containing 2 gallons of water. Keep it moist by ensuring it's away from heat sources and that its trunk always is covered with water.