We love the beauty of holiday flowers and gift baskets, but we also hate the fact that they may not last as long as we’d like. If you’ve received a flower arrangement or fruit and flower gift basket for the holidays already, you can do more than rely on luck that the gift will last until Christmas day – instead, follow these tips to help maintain the beauty of your floral arrangements for as long as possible.

1. One of the first things you should do as soon as you receive a bouquet or cut flower arrangement is to trim the stems, getting rid of any part that is dry or damaged. Use a sharp pair of scissors and submerging the stems in water, cut about 2 centimetres from each on a diagonal. It’s also important to remove any leaves or branches that would remain under water once you put the arrangement in the vase.

If the flowers are included with a gift basket, they can be left alone since they usually have a source of water attached to the stems. Just make sure the water level is high enough.

2. Make sure that the vase or container you put the flowers in is filled with fresh water, preferably much colder than room temperature. Change the water once a day, or more if it looks dirty.

3. Florists keep most of their stock in a walk-in fridge for a reason. Cut flowers stay fresher longer when kept in cooler temperatures. The environment should be at around 5 degrees Celsius (optimum temperatures vary for different flowers).

But come on, let’s be realistic. Nobody is going to keep their bouquet of flowers in the fridge. They’re meant to be displayed for the pleasure of the recipient.  A good way to maintain freshness without using the fridge is by placing arrangements out of direct sunlight or away from heat-producing objects, like appliances and vents.