The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone. If your family celebrates Christmas, you're going to have to worry about a Christmas tree. We love live Christmas trees. There's nothing like waking up to smell of pine every morning. There can be a problem though. Live trees can wreak havoc on hardwood floors. We've put together a step by step guide to help you this holidays season so that your Christmas tree is something you enjoy instead of dreading.

- You're going to need a blanket folded into quarters and some plastic to place over that. Place the blanket where you intend on placing your tree. The plastic goes over the blanket. Finally, place your tree stand over the plastic.

- Before you bring your tree into your home, shake it in order to get rid of all the loose pine needles. Pine needles can cause damage to your floors. They are very easy to track throughout a house. They are small and sharp enough to scratch your hardwood floors.

- Have a bath mat or something similar at your door. Place the tree on top of this and drag the bath mat with the tree on in to your tree stand. This is going to ensure that your tree sees as little shaking as possible on its journey to its final resting place. This also ensures that you won't be dropping your tree. That would be a disaster.  

- Place the tree in the tree stand and fill the base with water in order to keep your tree fresh for as long as possible. Place a tree skirt over the plastic and blanket to make your tree presentable.

- Once the holidays are over, your preparation will make this simple. Simple drag everything to the doorway so the tree doesn't have to be carried over your precious hardwood floors. The blanket underneath is going to make this pretty straightforward. 

The holidays can be incredibly stressful. Any bit of advice is worth taking. Hardwood floors are an investment, but they require a little bit of work. Simple planning will make sure that your beautiful hardwood floors aren't damaged by your beautiful Christmas tree.

From all of us at Plus Hardwood Flooring, we wish your family peace and joy in the coming year! Happy holidays!