Fire officials are encouraging homeowners to take down their real Christmas tree soon.
The National Fire Protection Association says that 33 percent of house fires involving Christmas trees happen this month.
The pine trees dry out and become very flammable over time. The latest data from the NFPA shows an average of 160 house fires happen each year due to Christmas trees.
Although that number represents a small fraction of yearly fires, the NFPA notes that live Christmas trees are typically only up for a few weeks out of the year.
