Protect your stockpile from freezing. Cover your soil pile. Your hole should be no deeper than the root ball and about 12 inches wider on each side. Only water the tree once or twice while it is inside. Remember - the tree is dormant.
Fir trees are still our favorite.
Douglas Fir is quite popular, but we like the Fraser Fir, with its thick needles highlighted with silver undersides. When you get your cut tree home, make a fresh cut at the base, and store the tree in a container of water in the garage until it is placed in its stand. This milky-looking substance dries to a shiny clear coating that helps seal in moisture, keeping greens fresh longer. Deer have been eating my vegetable plants and shrubs. Also see our Pests webpage with a section on deer.