Hi, I am Patsieann Misiti with the Alexandria Fire Department in Alexandria, Virginia. We have been talking about holiday safety and winter preparedness.

Now, let's talk about Christmas trees. When purchasing a tree check its freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from the branches and don t break one bent between your fingers. The trunk should be sticky with resin and when tapped on the ground the three shouldn t lose many needles. Cut off a few inches and put it in a sturdy water holding stand and keep the stand filled with water so the tree doesn t dry out quickly.

Don t put your live tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. If you buy an artificial tree make sure it is fire resistant. This label does not mean a tree won t catch fire. It means the tree is more resistant to burning. Locate your tree at least three feet away from fireplaces, radiators another heat sources such as candles. Don t place wrapped presents too close to tree lights. Do not place the tree anywhere it may block exit and to dispose off your tree take it to a recycling centre or contact a community pickup service.

Next, we are going to talk about holiday lights.