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GREAT Christmas Tree Hack

I’m not a “real” Christmas tree guy.  My sister had allergies growing up, so we always had a fake tree, and that’s all I’ve had as an adult, so I’ve…

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I'm not a "real" Christmas tree guy.  My sister had allergies growing up, so we always had a fake tree, and that's all I've had as an adult, so I've never had to deal with keeping one alive through the holidays.

And this year, I've been seeing more and more people buying their trees early, so the struggle is real when it comes to keeping them alive.

Enter this hack:  7up!

Rule of thumb is making sure there is two inches of water at the base of the tree at all times.  Well, rethink that.  According to the tree experts at Hanleys Garden Center and Christmas Shop in Ireland, make that mixture 3 parts water, 1 part 7up to hydrate the tree.  Here's the logic:  cut trees (and plants) like the sugar and citric acid, and some folks feel that the natural lemon-lime flavoring may act as a preservative as well (although there’s no evidence of that).

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.