Forget the endless carols trilling from speakers in malls and shops, the screaming ads for toys, the perfect gift for Mom or Dad, the lights that go up right after Halloween on the houses of some holiday enthusiasts. The real sign that Christmas is right around the corner is the sighting of the first car that has a conifer lashed to its roof.
For many families, the trip to get a tree is an honored tradition. I know; I sold Christmas trees for many years in Harrisburg, Pa., and to more than one generation. Grownups would come to get a tree and recall coming to us for a tree as kids with their parents.
The Frasier fir's open branching provides space for ornaments and lights.
(Joel M. Lerner For The Washington Post)
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Like many great traditions, this one is changing. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, in 2003 9.6 million U.S. households bought artificial trees, while 23.4 million households were still making the trip to the tree lot or tree farm to select a real specimen.
The association, which is made up of growers and sellers, naturally understandably would like to reverse this trend. Here's what the association Web site has to say about choosing a live tree:
"You can use a renewable, recyclable natural product grown on farms throughout North America; or, you can use a non-renewable, non-biodegradable, plastic and metal product made in a Chinese factory. You pick."
I understand the convenience of having to go no farther than a relatively warm basement to get the family tree, neatly tucked into its cardboard storage box. But as a person who works with plants virtually all year, I certainly prefer the real deal. If you do too, here are 10 things to keep in mind about live cut Christmas trees:
• 1. The practice of bringing live evergreens into the house has history on its side. It is far older than the celebration of Christmas, perhaps dating back 5,000 years. The Christmas Tree Association reports that Egyptians brought palm branches indoors on the shortest day of the year to symbolize the triumph of life over death. Romans adorned homes with evergreens for Saturnalia, a winter festival to the god of agriculture.
• 2. Early evidence of Christmas trees per se is found about 500 years ago in a Germanic region of Europe that is now a part of France. Hessian mercenaries brought the practice to this country from Europe during the Revolutionary War, but it was not until the mid-1840s that decorating a live evergreen for Christmas became widely popular.
• 3. For those who want to uphold this long and cherished tradition, there are choices to be made at the Christmas tree lot. Common varieties of trees and their characteristics include:
Douglas fir -- expensive but full, tall and easy to handle.
