How to Resize a Christmas Tree

Keep the too-tall tree in the garage or outside until it's time to trim it to fit properly in its intended space. Use a bow saw with a 20- to 30-inch blade to trim the trunk and a pair of long-handled shears for trimming branches.

Measure the ceiling height of the room designated for display. Measure the height of the tree and its stand. Calculate the correct height for the tree to fit in its intended place.

Locate the whorl branches, the larger branches that grow out from the trunk of the tree in sets of 4, 5 or 6 (like spokes in a wheel) every 12 to 16 vertical inches. Note the smaller internodal branches that grow in the spaces between the whorl branches.

Remove the amount of length from the tree. Decide which level of whorl branches must be removed to shorten the tree and leave enough trunk to set into the tree stand. Mark the trunk.

Cut all the branches below the mark, using the shears for smaller branches and the saw for larger ones. Use the saw to cut the trunk once the branches are removed.

Secure the tree in the stand and measure the overall height. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to shorten the trunk further.

Take the stand and tree into the house. Take the tree through the doorway stand and trunk first. Position the tree so that it's stable. Fill the stand with water.