Oak trees are not houseplants!! They need to be outside. Oaks that can grow in MA are not evergreen, so losing its leaves in fall is natural and expected....it's not dead, only dormant.

Because it is in a container and not planted in the ground, there is the potential risk of cold damage to the roots if left outside now. Store overwinter in a cool-cold location that is unlikely to present below freezing temps, like an unheated garage or basement. Light is not a critical factor while dormant as no photosynthesis is taking place but don't allow it to dry out completely.....keep just slightly moist. Plant out in spring as soon as your soil is workable.

This is what I was thinking it needed, just wanted confirmation. Thank you!! I am planning on putting it back outside and finding a nice permanent place to plant in the spring. It is a very sentimental little tree to me and I'm renting so I want to plant somewhere I can keep forever but I know it needs to go in the ground in order to live its life the way it is meant to!

Thank you again!

If you want to put it outside, as you should, and don't have a unheated garage or basement, bury the pot in the soil. This will protect the soil in the pot from excessive fluctuations in winter temperatures.

Keep moving on into bigger containers until you have that permanent spot identified - do not plant in ground and then dig back up when moving later.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4254602/question-about-oak-trees-in-pots-over-the-winter

Here's an old thread that might be helpful as well, with some somewhat different advice.

Of course the white oak's native range is right down into northern Florida and close to Corpus Christi, Texas where soil temperatures aren't exactly what I'd call...well, cold. And it can be cultivated a bit outside that range. So your mileage will certainly vary. But super-cold isn't required and soil temps in the forties would be fine--something like a garage or the like.

Typically the requirement is satisfied by 39 degrees F. With the number of hours needed varying with the species and even the cultivar - as in the case of orchard fruit trees for instance. This is why it is possible to grow low chilling requirement (comparatively small number of hours) cultivars of cold climate fruit types in tropical highlands or other cool but not very frosty climate areas such as coastal southern California. Because as long as it gets to 39 the minimum number of times their dormancy is then satisfied - there is no need for it to actually freeze.

"If you want to put it outside, as you should, and don't have a unheated garage or basement, bury the pot in the soil. This will protect the soil in the pot from excessive fluctuations in winter temperatures."

I agree with windberry's post....if you have a (rental) yard, of course. Pots over-wintered in garages and basements can dry out too thoroughly if left unchecked. But maybe that's just more of a problem here in the polar north.