Our favourite U.S. grandma teaches us the best lesson in picking a Christmas tree
Fans are calling these Christmas tree tips 'groundbreaking'


Our favourite American grandmother, Babs, took to TikTok to teach us the best lesson on picking the perfect real Christmas tree every year. Fans have even gone on to call her advice 'groundbreaking', so you know we just had to share.
Deciding on a Christmas tree can be a task and a half. With so many options to choose from, it's difficult to keep best practices all in one place – that's why Babs, known as 'everyone's grandmother' is here to the rescue, stacked with tips on how to ensure you have the perfect Christmas tree every holiday season.
Babs' 5 top tips on picking the perfect Christmas tree
In a recent TikTok video shared by Babs (@brunchwithbabs), she lists her 5 top tips for picking a real Christmas tree. Each tip she shared was news to us and worth noting down, but we loved the third tip in particular where she tells us to cut off the bottom of the trunk right before we plan to put it up in our homes.
@brunchwithbabs ♬ original sound - everyone’s grandmother
'Give your tree a fresh cut right before you're going to put it up,' advises Babs. 'Even if you cut your own tree down, by the time you get home that sap could've already closed that trunk and your tree will not be able to drink.'
The video then cuts to her holding the fresh cutting from the tree, holding it up she says 'it smells divine,' patting the tree trunk and saying that 'it's all ready for its first drink.' We think it's a genius little trick and often overlooked in the process of picking and caring for a real Christmas tree.
As a bonus tip, she even adds that 'you can take the fresh cut from the trunk of the Christmas tree' and 'make an ornament out of it.' We think this is a clever little DIY Christmas decorating idea that's perfect for decorating a Christmas tree. Babs even goes on to say that 'you can save them throughout the years', making them a sweet memorabilia of past festive seasons to look back on.
Fans went crazy over the American grandmother's advice, calling it 'solid' and 'groundbreaking.' Another commented, 'Bless this woman who doesn't gatekeep knowledge.' Even people who don't opt for real Christmas trees, but rather their best artificial Christmas tree, commented saying, 'We're a plastic tree family but this is interesting.'
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It's amazing what internet moms like Babs can do to advise and better inform us with these golden tidbits of knowledge, because of course, the more the merrier.
Jullia was Ideal Home’s Junior Writer from 2022-2024 and the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Vacuums having spent over 60 hours testing different models. She’s always loved all things homes and interiors, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Nottingham where her love for writing blossomed following her internship at ArchDaily. Now focused on home tech and cleaning, Jullia works on writing features and explainers to help people make the most of their home appliance investments, putting the newest launches through their paces. When she isn’t writing, she loves exploring the city, coffee shop hopping, and losing hours to a cosy game or book.
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