Tips Offered to Prevent Your Christmas Tree From Fa-La-La-Lying Off Your Car

AAA says millions of Americans will be getting their Christmas tree this week with families searching through the options to find that perfect tree. Searching for the right tree for Christmas may be a challenge, but the real one will be making sure you transport it to your house safely.

Transporting a Christmas tree should be the same amount of caution and care if you were moving a piece of furniture, appliance, or any other large object. If your tree is not properly secure, AAA says this could cause damage to your vehicle with damage including scratched paint, torn door seals, or distorted window frames. It could also lead to one of the worst serious, flying off your vehicle and becoming a road hazard for others.

“There are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. AAA research shows that 44% of Americans planning to purchase a real Christmas tree would transport the tree using unsafe methods. This includes 20% who would tie the tree to the roof of their vehicle without using a roof rack and 24% who planned to place the tree in the bed of their pickup truck unsecured.”

AAA said in a release.

Around 16% of those looking to purchase a Christmas tree this year have already experienced a Christmas tree falling off or out of their vehicle when taking it home. Tree damage to your vehicle could total around $1,500 in repairs, AAA reported. There are tips though to make sure not only your Christmas tree gets home safely, but no damage is done to your vehicle.

Some of those tips include:

Planning ahead when getting ready to purchase your tree. Make sure you bring a vehicle with a roof-rack, strong rope, an old blanket, and gloves. 

Wrap and cover your tree. See if you can get your tree wrapped in netting prior to securing it to your vehicle. Also utilize that old blanket to place between the roof of your vehicle and the tree to prevent paint scratches.

Trunk First. Have the tree trunk facing the front of your vehicle if on the roof and in the bed of a truck. Secure it to either the roof or truck bed and give it the “tug test” to ensure all rope if properly secured.

Lastly, get home “nice & easy” , drive slowly and take back roads, if possible. Higher speeds can cause significant airflow that could damage that tree you looked so hard for.