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How to Choose and Maintain a Real Tree Though technically not a child anymore, I get as giddy as a schoolgirl when this time of year finally rolls back around and I get to go shopping. Not for presents, mind you, though that certainly has its merits as well, but for the perfect Christmas tree. Whether it’s a pathetic little tree that resembles the one in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” or a towering Noble fir, it’s the only thing that makes the holiday — feel and smell — real to me. And I’m not the only one, according to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), which estimated “36 million U.S. families plan to focus their holiday traditions around a real Christmas tree.” The holidays are not without their fair share of frustrations, and oftentimes, buying a Christmas tree is one of them. This year, we’ve done our homework in hopes of providing a cheat sheet that might make choosing the ideal tree a joyful task, though I can’t say the same about stringing the lights. Types of Trees It might sound like common sense, but the best place to start is by researching different types of Christmas trees to find the one you like best and which ones are available in our area. Each one has its own characteristics that may or may not be important to you. The most popular and commonly purchased types of Christmas trees are Balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Noble fir, Scotch pine, White pine and the Carolina Sapphire, which only recently became a regional favorite. · Fraser Fir is typically the most popular and touts excellent needle retention along with a nice fragrance. · Douglas Fir has short needles attached around the twig instead of a feather-like arrangement. Its needles are soft and pliable with the cones hanging downward, making it easily recognizable on a tree lot or farm. · Balsam Fir trees are graced with a pyramidal shape, which is an important factor for some tree shoppers. In addition, it has a dark green color with short, flat needles that are both aromatic and long lasting — a plus, for those with a tradition of buying a tree the day after Thanksgiving. · Scotch Pine trees are said by the NCTA to be the most planted commercial Christmas tree in the United States, though it isn’t necessarily the most popular. Characteristics include stiff branches with bundles of dark green needles that do not drop when they get dry. The needles usually last about four weeks, but the aroma can linger throughout the season. · Eastern Red Cedar is typically a regional favorite and the traditional Christmas tree of the South. Its aromatic needles are a dark, shiny green and are prickly to the touch. · Eastern White Pine is mostly grown in the mid-Atlantic states for commercial Christmas trees, but often need to be heavily sheared. While the tree retains needles throughout the season, it has little to no fragrance and is not the ideal tree for anyone with heavy ornaments to hang. · Noble Fir, on the contrary, has a long cut life and its stiff branches are perfect for heavy ornaments. · White Spruce has green to bluish-green needles that hold their own against heavy ornaments, but buyer beware: these needles have an unpleasant odor when crushed or broken and are notorious for poor retention. · Leland (Leyland) Cypress is said by some to be the ideal Christmas tree due to its natural shape and evergreen foliage. Though perhaps the favored advantage is its sweet fragrance that doesn’t aggravate allergies, the fact that it is fire resistant as long as the trunk is kept in water and — drum roll, please — doesn’t shed its foliage as is common with most Christmas trees. · Carolina Sapphire is a recent addition to the repertoire of local Christmas trees. The Carolina Sapphire sports a symmetrical/pyramidal shape and has a beautiful steely blue-green color with an aromatic fragrance ideal for the holidays. The needles are soft to the touch, but are only capable of handling ornaments that are light or medium weight. Tree Farms With your ideal tree in mind, it’s time to go shopping. Trees are sold everywhere from grocery stores and home improvement stores to the many Christmas tree farms in Georgia, even via the Internet (see Christmas Trees in Cyberspace sidebar). A sampling of tree farms throughout the Metro Atlanta area are listed. Be sure to call the farm to ensure hours and tree availability prior to your trek. For more options, visit the Georgia Christmas Tree Association at www.gacta.com or www.pickyourownchristmastree.org. • Ty-Lyn Plantation. Getting to this Fraser fir tree farm by following the festive Santa signs along the route might be just as fun as selecting your tree. Owners John and Joni Wavra offer fir trees from 5 to 16 feet as well as hot cider and a ride in their 1951 Ford fire truck. 971 Lloyd Hooper R.d, Cullowhee, N.C., 828-743-3899, www.tylynplantation.com • Big Ridge Christmas Tree Farm. 3,000 Fraser fir varying in height from 5 to 9 feet await selection this holiday season. In addition to gorgeous trees, a trip here also includes goodies to warm your body before and after you hop on a hayride to their 100-year-old log cabin. 762 George Eggers Rd., Banner Elk, N.C., 828-963-5151, www.bigridgetreefarm.com • The Kinsey Family Farm. From nearly 2,000 U-choose & U-cut to pre-cut Christmas trees, living Christmas trees (to plant later), wreaths and boughs, a Christmas-themed park, Christmas decorations and winter wagon rides, this tree farm has something for everyone. Tree varieties include Carolina Sapphire, Leland cypress and cedar as well as a few others, depending on the season. 7170 Jot-em Down Rd., Gainesville, Ga., 770-887-6028, www.kinseyfamilyfarm.com • Bottoms’ Tree Farm. Holiday spirit is offered in the form of U-choose & U-cut Virginia pine, Carolina Sapphire, White pine, Leland cypress and Eastern Red cedar trees, as well as wreaths, complimentary hot chocolate, apple cider, banana bread and wagon rides on the weekends. 5880 John Burruss Rd., Cumming, Ga., 770-889-5235, www.bottomstreefarm.com • Hunter’s Christmas Tree Farm. A family tradition for nearly 18 years, this tree farm invites you to enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and cookies while you browse their selection of U-choose & U-cut Leland and Murray cypress, as well as pre-cut Fraser fir brought down from North Carolina. 14680 Wood Rd., Alpharetta, Ga., 770-475-0713, www.hunterschristmastreefarm.com • Coker Tree Farm. Going on their 23rd season, the Coker Farm offers three different types of trees — Murray cypress up to 9 feet, Leland cypress up to 10 feet and Carolina Sapphire up to 12 feet. Coker “elves” will shake and bundle the tree for you. 2280 MacLand Rd., Marietta, Ga., 770-424-8047, www.cokertreefarm.com • Black Mountain Forest. If you’re a fan of the Leland cypress and some family fun, head here to this family farm where shoppers are encouraged to snap a family photo on an authentic 4-seat snow sleigh and stroll through the children’s Peter Rabbit garden — in between shopping for your tree, of course. 1455 Black Mountain Rd., Dahlonega, Ga., 706-867-6426, www.blackmountainforest.gacta.com “Once you get the tree home safely, stand it up in a bucket of water in a cool place either indoors or outdoors just to keep it from drying out too rapidly. Refill your tree stand daily with fresh, clean water.”
Selecting a Tree Though bringing home the freshest tree available can depend on when and where you buy it, here are a few suggestions to remember as you head out this year. • If you don’t already have a tried-and-true spot in your home, decide where to put your Christmas tree and what size tree will safely fit in that spot, avoiding close proximity to heat sources like fireplaces, heaters, televisions and even air ducts. • A healthy Christmas tree has needles that are resilient, not brittle. Ask the retailer how long the trees have been cut and exposed to the elements, but one surefire test you can do is to lift the tree about a foot off the ground and drop it on its handle. If only a few needles fall, the tree is fresh and should last throughout the holiday season; be sure to note that loss of dead needles from deep inside the tree does not indicate a dying tree. • Don’t buy a tree that’s too big for the area you’ve designated for it in the house. Not only will you pay more — roughly $10 per foot of height — you’ll end up having to cut a large section off the bottom of the tree, which could ultimately affect its overall shape and appearance. A good rule of thumb is to buy a tree that’s 1 foot shorter than your floor-to-ceiling measurement. • Always check for insects and anything else that could be embedded inside the tree — most companies have “shakers” that remove debris, so be sure that any excess is shaken or blown from the tree. Long Live the Tree Last, but certainly not least, the big task ahead is taking the proper steps to ensure your tree retains its holiday fragrance, allowing you to open gifts around a tree that is as fresh and perky as the kids or young-at-heart who have been waiting impatiently for weeks. Believe it or not, taking care of the tree starts before you even get it home. If you decide to buy from a tree farm or if your transport time from the retail lot to your house exceeds more than 15 minutes, wrap the tree in a tarp or in the back of a pick-up truck, as 60-mph winds on the highway can damage even the freshest of trees in a short period of time. Also, when tying the tree to your car, be sure to place the top of the tree at the back of the car and the stump at the front of the car so the needles don’t get blown to pieces. Once you get the tree home safely, stand it up in a bucket of water in a cool place either indoors or outdoors just to keep it from drying out too rapidly. Refill your tree stand daily with fresh, clean water. A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24 hours after it is cut, and one or more quarts everyday thereafter. Maintaining a steady water level keeps the tree fragrant and alive longer. According to most reports, if the water level in the stands ever drops below the base of the tree it will seal and not take up more water. When the holiday season ends, it’s time to give a gift to the environment by locating the nearest recycling program for your real Christmas tree by calling 1-800-CLEANUP or by visiting www.realchristmastrees.org. PN Did You Know? · One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. With approximately one million acres dedicated to growing Christmas trees, that amounts to enough oxygen to sustain 18 million people each day. For every real Christmas tree harvested, three more seedlings are planted. · Buying real trees helps to provide jobs, as harvesting and selling Christmas trees employs a total of more than 100,000 people full or part-time in the industry. · The United States has roughly 5,000 choose-and-cut tree farms. · Fake trees, usually manufactured in Korea, Hong Kong or Taiwan, are made with nonrenewable petroleum. If a fake tree should catch on fire, it emits dangerous toxic fumes into the air. They contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead. · Real Christmas trees can be recycled via ground-up mulch to replenish the soil or used in fish habitats as well as other useful resources; whereas, fake trees cannot be recycled. They will sit in the landfill forever. · Approximately 30 to 35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. annually; 175,000 of them sold via catalog or mail order over the Internet. Christmas Trees in Cyberspace One place most of us probably don’t think to buy a real Christmas tree is via the Internet. Roughly 300,000 people buy their Christmas trees online each year. If you are strapped for time or just want to avoid the task of walking around an often crowded and cold lot this year, a number of quality trees can be delivered right to your home for a reasonable fee (for example, an $80 Fraser fir from Omni Farm costs $24 to ship). · www.freshchristmastree.com. As if the name doesn’t speak for itself, this site provides customers with fresh Christmas trees directly from their growers. Trees are shipped immediately using FedEx Ground. Mastercard, Visa and PayPal are accepted. · www.omnifarm.com. Based not too far away in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina, Hal and Martha Gimlin have been running their Christmas tree farm since 1972, when their trees were first planted. Claiming to be the “oldest, most experienced Christmas tree mail order company in the world,” the farm specializes in Fraser fir and White pine trees. Trees shipped via FedEx or UPS; all major credit cards accepted. · www.christmastreesnow.com. These trees are grown and cut from Windblown Tree Plantation in Wisconsin, where a healthy selection of Fraser fir, Douglas fir, Balsam fir, Scotch pine and Colorado blue spruce trees are available. Trees shipped via FedEx and UPS; most credit cards accepted. · www.paineschristmastrees.com. For fans of Fraser fir trees, you might want to zero in on this Vermont-based, family-run company. Trees shipped via UPS; all major credit cards accepted.
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Oh Christmas Tree! 