Dozens of Christmas trees are prepped and sold at the Farmer's Select Christmas Tree Lot in McAllen.

Tree farm owner Jim Connor said he’s run the business for nearly 30 years. This year, Connor opened the tree farm on Friday, Nov 22. He said the tree farm sold close to 200 trees that day — a record.

“We look forward to it. We have watched kids grow up here and now they are buying trees here,” Connor said. “We are almost sold out. It’s been really busy this year from day one. We’ve never had a day one that we sold that many trees the first day we opened."

As a manager at the Morton Arboretum, Spencer Campbell said he has tips for those planning to buy a fresh Christmas tree this year.

"Cut off an inch at the base of the trunk of the tree before placing it in the stand to remove any sap sealed surface, and reopen the water vessels for better absorption,” Campbell said.

Another tip to making sure your tree stays fresh when you take it home for the first time is to water it with warm water. Warm water will make sap loose at the trunk, and allow trees to drink more water.

It's important to water the tree daily because a dry tree can become a fire hazard, Campbell said, adding that the tree should be positioned away from any heat source such as radiators, vents, candles and fire places.

When decorating, LED lights are the safest option, Campbell said.

“They use less energy, they stay cool and won't dry your tree out like less traditional incandescent lights,” Campbell said.