JanisMurray's Blog

Everbody has their own view of the perfect Christmas tree!

That's one reason so many different kinds are grown in all 50 states.

Most of the trees for sale here are from Oregon, Washington, Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, or locally from Illinois. Nationwide, more than 30 million fresh trees will be sold this season.

To choose yours, consider what you like, how many ornaments you have (or want to put up AND put away), and cost.

The Scotch Pines and White Pines will be the least expensive, a 6 foot tree ranging around $40. The Frasier and Noble Firs are bigger and more expensive, a 7-8 foot tree ranging around $75-80.00.

You can buy a 2 foot high, mini balsam, often called "the Charlie Brown" tree, for around $15 . . .coming with its own wooden stand.

Speaking of Balsams, the full size ones are among the most popular trees nationwide, but they will be a little more expensive this year because they are grown in Canada, and the US dollar is weak against Canadian currency right now.

Pines tend to have softer branches and needles so lights look great on them, but they don't hold heavy ornaments well. Choose light weight baubles.

Firs have stronger branches for holding both lights and many ornaments.

When looking at trees, check for freshness. Do this by holding a branch in your hand and gently pulling out to its tip.  If no needles come off, it's a fresh tree. If lots of needles come off, move on to the next tree.

Whatever tree you choose, make sure that where you buy it they make a "fresh cut" off the bottom of the trunk. This will open up the passages to take in water up the trunk of the tree to keep it fresh.  You have about 6-8 hours to get your tree in water before the sap will seal over the fresh cut, and then you'll have to make a new cut. In a bucket of water, you can store your tree in the garage for several days.

When you put your tree up, make sure the stand is big enough so you don't have to whittle down the outside bark to make the trunk fit.     It's the outside bark that absorbs the water fastest and best.

Also, your stand needs to be able to hold enough water to keep your tree moist.  The general rule of thumb, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, is to pour in 1 quart of water for every 1 inch of the diameter of the trunk. So for a 4 inch stem, you need a stand that can hold a gallon of water (4 quarts = 1 gallon).  Then throughout the season be sure to check the water level regularly and add more as needed.  A dry tree can become a fire hazard quickly.

Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. It may take up to 15 years to produce a tree, but for every one harvested, 3 seedlings are planted.  There are a half million acres growing Christmas trees in the U.S. with each acre providing the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. The industry provides 100,000 jobs a year in the U.S..

Merry Christmas,

Janis