HATFIELD, Pa. (CBS) – It’s that time of year again — the search for the perfect Christmas tree begins for many Delaware Valley Families. One local tree retailer, with many years of experience, has some advice for you.

Janet Hague and her husband Gary own Hague’s Christmas Trees in Hatfield. she says you need to come prepared when shopping for a tree:

“To find the right one for your house, you should have an idea of how tall the ceiling is where you are going to place it and how wide the area is so people can still get by it.”

Hague offers customers measuring sticks to take with them in the field because the trees often look smaller there then they do once you get them home.

If you don’t want a lot of needles on your floor, what kind of tree should you pick?

“Anything in the true ‘fir’ family is a good needle holder. The pines hold very well, blue spruces pretty well. Some of the other spruces, not so well.”

What about keeping it fresh?

“The primary thing is to check the water level every day. Some days they don’t drink a lot, but some days they may drink a quart or more, depending on the size of the tree.”

But Hague says not to put any extras in the water. She points out that trees don’t get any exotic concoctions of chemicals when they’re growing in the field.

Reported by Michelle Durham, KYW Newsradio