Your beautiful fresh cut Christmas tree should stay up not a moment longer than 14 days! After 14 days (I say it again) mold sets it…. sending spores through your home and sending the level of spore count through the roof! Sometimes as great as 8 times the healthy limit. Two weeks before Christmas is the perfect time to buy, and then take down the day after or….. One week before and take down the day after New Years.