I always ask the trees first....No seriously...I think of them as like those in Lord or the Rings, and so taking their branches is a privilege for them, like choosing the best or prettiest to be made into decorations, only like us having a hair cut, I used to take my children for picnics etc into the woods, play games like "famouse five" including the dog and always told them the trees were watching and listening..you should see the fuss I made when we HAD to cut some down!!!!