That time of year: the car and the tree

Since not every home is blessed with a trailer, there are often just two options when transporting the tree by car: in the boot or on the roof.

If the tree is going into the boot, then before you set off make sure to remove any unnecessary items and put the rear seats down. Doing that in the Tiguan Allspace, for instance, generates a load area which is about 1.90 m long. By spreading blankets or coverings over the interior, you can avoid sticky resin marks and also say goodbye to the irritating task of vacuuming out the pine needles from the boot when you get back. One essential to pack is a couple of ropes or a lashing strap.

Ideally, the tree is loaded trunk-first into the boot. The trunk should sit right up against the back of the passenger seat. That way, it can't slide around even if the driver is forced to brake sharply. It's best to use lashing straps, too.

These are first wrapped round the trunk, then right round the tree, before finally being tied to the anchoring-points in the vehicle interior. If the tree is still wrapped in a transport net, this also assists with visibility in the rear-view mirror and thus through the rear windscreen.

But what do you do if the tree is too long for the boot? That's not a problem either. In Germany, cargo is permitted to project out of the boot up to a maximum of 1.5 metres. That said, if it sticks out by more than one metre, the tree needs to carry a warning signal during transport, using a 30 x 30 cm red flag tied to the top. Once it gets dark, a flashing red light and reflectors are required. You can use a rope to tie the boot door to the anchoring-points on the floor of the boot, allowing it to close as far as possible. The rear of the vehicle should be checked again before setting off, because the tree is not permitted to cover the registration plate or the rear lights. Then you're ready to go.

On the roof

The tree can also be securely fastened to the car's roof with a few simple actions. The tip of the tree should be pointing backwards, as the airflow during transport bends the branches dramatically and could therefore otherwise damage them. As an emergency solution, the tree can be attached to the car's roof rails. If doing so, the tree should also be netted, which reduces the risk of paint scratches.

By far the better option is transporting the tree using a roof rack: not only does this make it easier to secure your tree, but it also adds a few reassuring, additional centimetres between the needles and the car's paint finish. In principle, it's helpful to have two people to position and secure the tree on the roof rack, as then the tree has less play while it is being attached. Securing the tree for roof transport is much the same as for transporting in the boot: first wrap the trunk, then the whole tree using the lashing straps, and then tie it tightly to the frame on the roof.

To ensure that the tree is clearly visible to other road users, the red flag on the top of the tree, or the red flashing light and reflectors, are a mandatory requirement even if the tree is transported on the roof of the car. To be absolutely safe, be sure to sit behind the wheel before setting off and check your own field of vision through the rear windscreen.

Save the tree!

Only strong lashing straps or tensioning straps are suitable for securing loads such as a Christmas tree on the roof. One absolute no-go are bungee straps (thick elastic ties). In an accident at 50 kph, the forces acting on a 32 kg tree give it an effective weight of 750 kg. An elastic bungee strap cannot cope with that strain, meaning that the tree turns into a dangerous projectile. Even sudden braking manoeuvres can present a risk.

If you follow this advice, you should get your tree back home in relaxed fashion. And once your Christmas tree is standing in your living-room, its fragrance filling the air - then, if not before, the comforting, unique feeling of Christmas envelops you. At that point, the Christmas tree ritual was once again worth the effort this year.