I purchased this tree after Christmas and simply pulled it out of the box just to see if I liked it before packing it away for the year. I was floored at how beautiful it was even without fixing the branches! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm counting down the days until this Christmas to see it all decorated! The flocking does crumble off some when you are assembling the tree so wear something you can change out of when you are done bc you will get dusted:) I am so happy I purchased this majestic, beautiful tree!