Still Sneezing in Illinois? Your Christmas Tree Might Be to Blame

Are you an Illinois resident who spends most of the fall season sniffling, sneezing, and coughing? I am too.

Experts say allergy problems are supposed to lessen after the first hard frost, but if that's true, why are my sinuses still constantly draining into my throat? Unfortunately, I may have a major case of Christmas Tree Syndrome.

What Exactly Is Christmas Tree Syndrome?

If you spend the end of November and entire month of December with a nose and sinuses that refuse to unstuff or eyes that are constantly itching, AND you have a Christmas tree up in your home, congratulations, your body officially hates your tree.

READ MORE: Tips For Keeping a Real Tree Fresh All Season 

Christmas Tree Syndrome is basically a "fun" term to describe the allergic reactions many people have to the things Christmas trees bring into your home like mold, pollen, and dust.  Research has even shown that mold levels on live trees can skyrocket once they’re indoors, which explains why your “holly jolly joy” feels suspiciously like a head cold.

If you're thinking: "Cool, I just stop getting live trees and stick to artificial instead", here comes even more bummer news.

Artificial trees collect a lot of dust and can cause the same symptoms as well.

How to Avoid Christmas Tree Syndrome

If getting rid of a Christmas tree completely is something you are unwilling to do, (I'd rather continue to suffer), there are a few things you can do to help ease your symptoms.

• Shake your tree vigorously and hose it down before putting it up.  Seriously. Real tree or fake tree, it doesn't matter. Give it a pre-holiday shower outside to rinse off all the dust, mold, pollen, etc. and make sure you let it dry completely before bringing it back indoors.
• Limit the time it stays up. The longer the tree is up collecting dust and junk, the longer you will continue to sniffle and sneeze.
• Run an air purifier near the tree to help get rid of allergens.

Fingers crossed these prevention tips work! There's nothing merry about sneezing through the holidays.