Flickr Photo Credit: wolfsavard
Oh, Christmas tree! When I was growing up I had a friend whose family used to put up an artificial aluminum Christmas tree every year; pink.
After all, nothing says Happy Holidays like a beautifully-trimmed pink aluminum Christmas tree, don’t you think?
The pink color wasn’t the only thing unconventional about their fake Christmas tannenbaum either. I remember one particular Christmas this family had an ornament of a smiling Elvis Presley hanging on the tree — just above the manger scene they had neatly tucked under it.
For those of you counting at home, one could make a strong argument that their version of the Nativity actually had four kings instead of three. I digress.
Needless to say, I now detest pink artificial aluminum Christmas trees. In fact, truth be told, I’m really not a fan of artificial trees of any material or color – even the forest-green ones. That’s why, although nobody will ever confuse me with Grizzly Adams, when it comes to the holiday season I demand a fresh-cut natural Christmas tree in my family room.
Commercial Christmas Trees Are Big Business
Apparently, a lot of people feel the same way I do. There were over 28 million commercial Christmas trees sold in 2009 amounting to revenues of $1.2 billion.
If you’re like me, you’ll probably end up buying your tree pre-cut from a big-box home improvement center, or a Christmas tree lot.
If you are really fortunate, you’ll live close to a farm that grows Christmas trees and cuts them on the spot. When I was growing up my family used to go to a commercial Christmas tree farm every year and it was one of the highlights of the season for me.
Commercial Christmas tree prices depend on several variables including the type of tree (here in Southern California, for example, noble firs are typically more expensive than the Douglas variety), the tree’s height and whether or not you want it flocked so it looks like it has a dusting of fresh snow on it. (I know. But some people really like that kind of thing.)
The bottom line is that if you get too carried away you can easily spend well over $100 on your tree – and for many people, that is the only criterion they use when it comes to finding a tree.
How to Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree
Just as there is a bit of careful research required whenever it comes to finding the perfect Christmas gift, there is also a bit more effort required when it comes to picking the perfect Christmas tree.
I know what you’re thinking: “So, Len, just how hard is it?”
Well, you’ll be happy to learn that picking the perfect Christmas tree is as easy as 1-2-3. In fact, by following these three easy steps, even good ol’ Charlie Brown can pick the perfect Christmas tree every single time:
Step 1. Know how much tree you can get BEFORE you leave the house.
Size matters. As a kid, I remember one year my family brought home this big beautiful tree only to find out, after hosing it down and putting it in the Christmas tree stand, that it was just too tall for our living room. Not only did my dad buy more tree than he had to but, sadly, he also had to butcher it before it would finally fit in our house.
The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) recommends that you measure the height and width of the space where you plan on putting your tree. As a guideline, they also say that your allocated width should be 80 percent of the height. Sure, your foyer’s cathedral ceiling may easily accommodate a ten-foot tree, but if it doesn’t have eight feet available horizontally as well, then you’ll need to scale back your ambitions and find a shorter tree.
Step 2. Determine the tree species that best meets your needs.
When it comes to selecting the perfect Christmas tree, the secret is in identifying your own personal preferences regarding such things as the tree’s color and fragrance, and the softness of the needles. If you plan on having your tree for several weeks you’ll also need to make sure you purchase a tree variety that tends to hold its needles over a long period of time once it’s harvested.
Those who are serious about decorating their tree should also consider how well a particular variety is able to accommodate ornaments. For example, some tree varieties have more space between branches. If you have heavy ornaments, you’ll also want to ensure you get a tree with stiffer branches.
Once you figure out which tree best meets your needs, then look for a farm or retailer that carries the Christmas tree species you’re looking for.
Personally, I prefer Douglas firs; I love the long needles and I think they smell great. The Honeybee happens to be a big fan of Noble firs — guess which species of Christmas tree we get every year.
While you’re struggling with that little pop quiz, here is a chart that summarizes the traits of some of the most popular Christmas tree varieties:
3. Make sure the tree you buy is fresh.
Of course, when you buy your tree at a commercial Christmas tree farm you know you are getting the freshest tree you possibly can. However, a lot of people don’t have that luxury. The National Christmas Tree Association provides these helpful tips for folks who will be buying commercial Christmas trees from a retail lot:
- Be sure to buy your trees from a retail lot that is well-lit and stores their trees in a shaded area.
- To ensure maximum freshness, ask the Christmas tree retailer when the trees were delivered.
- Perform a freshness test. If the tree is a fir: fresh green fir needles will break crisply – like a fresh carrot. However, if the tree is a pine the opposite is true. That is, fresh green pine needles will NOT break. Got that?
- Be on the lookout for other signs of an old tree including: a musty odor, wrinkled bark, discoloration, and excessive needle loss.
- When in doubt about the freshness of a tree, pick another one. If you have to, find another retailer.
In Summary
See? Picking the perfect Christmas tree isn’t that difficult at all! In fact, it’s so simple even I can do it.
Hey, and if you’re still doubting yourself, please stop it. After all, even the worst live Christmas tree is better than any pink aluminum one.
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We too love the natural tree, but last year after getting our usual heavily discounted last minute greenery and still spending more than we could afford, we decided to scope out an artificial tree at yard sales. Well I found a beauty, one that looks almost real, pine cones and everything, prestrung with lights for only $15. I wanted DH to see it before we dragged it home (besides it was too heavy for me) and took the young couple’s number. When we called, the fellow said some of the lights no longer worked so we could have it for free. FREE! Free is good. I’ll just take an exacto knife to the plastic rings holding the lights and string our own. We’ll keep your helpful chart anyway for when we’re a bit more flush.
We are all about the fake tree. Too much work for a real one! We bought a nice one that everyone thinks is real bout four years ago, and it’s served us well. In the long run, we’ll save since we don’t have to buy a new tree each year.
Len, I bought our tree a few years back (of course it’s a plastic). We picked one out a couple days after New Year’s and saved abou 80%! That’s absolutely the best the time to buy if you’re an obsessive planner like me.
I am allergic to pine trees, so it is artificial all the way for me. It is also probably one of our best investments! We bought it the first year we were married, which was 20 years ago. We paid $139 for it, and it still looks great. (Not sure why it came with a 10 year warranty. Does a tree just self-combust after a certain amount of time?)
I have to say, I am glad I don’t have to worry about watering a tree or stepping on spiky pine needles. I know some people love a real tree, but since it isn’t a possibility for me, I just focus on all the bad parts of a real tree!
Really? Four people write in and you all have FAKE trees??? Good grief! LOL
@Olivia: Okay, free is good! Just please don’t tell me you have any Elvis ornaments.
@Miranda: I think you mean everybody “used to think” your tree is real. LOL
@Coach: Great advice! Um, maybe I can get the same deal in January for a real tree! Wait…
@Everyday: What about fir trees, or spruce? Anyway, I’m glad you got your money’s worth from your fake tree. It’s not pink, is it?
I used to have an aunt who had an artificial pink tree she would put out every year for Christmas. It was hideous!
Many of your too tall, too wide examples remind me of the National Lampoon movie Christmas Vacation when Chevy Chase drags his family out to cut down their own Christmas tree only to get home and find out it’s WAY too large for their house!
However, I haven’t purchased a tree in years. I know, I know…Bah Humbug! Right? It just doesn’t make sense picking out a tree, setting it up, having to watch it die before my very eyes and then removing it only to sweep up millions of pine needles where it once sat. I guess if I had kids, I would think differently. Until then, no tree.
Sorry Len, I’m asthmatic and my husband hates cleaning up pine needles, so we still use the 5 foot fake tree that my mom and I bought together when I was 4 years old. It has color-coded branch placement and a missing leg to its podium, lol. We prop it up with a pad of sticky notes, hahaha. Needless to say, it’s small, old, gimpy, and I LOVE it…it’s just one big Christmas memory every time I put it together and turn it into a freakin’ glow bulb with 3-4 long strings of lights.
PS But no Elvis ornaments…
I guess I knew I was in the minority because I love the real trees. Thanks for the helpful chart! I forgot what we got last time but I think it was a Douglas fir. We don’t have much choice here in TX.
@Bella: I’m sorry to hear that. Did she have Elvis ornaments to go with it?
@LittleHouse: You too? Oy! Say it ain’t so, Jen!
@BIFS: Another fake tree fan? I give up! That’s it! Next year I’m doing an article on how to pick the perfect fake Christmas tree. LOL
@Jennifer: Really? Bless you, Jen. Please tell me you’re not just saying you have a real one to make me feel better.
Back when I was 15 I spent a day planting little pine tree sticks in my grandfather’s field. I think we planted 5,000 of the damm things on a cold rainy April day.
By the time I was in college, the trees were 5′ tall and I started cutting one for free each year.
Now I’m 43, my grandfather is long gone – but a friend of the family bought his property. So now I show up with a bottle of brandy, we go out and cut down a 40′ tall tree and I take the top 12′, and he lets me use his snowmobile trailer to haul the thing home. We got tall ceilings.
Good tips. Had an artificial tree for a couple of years now but I’m in a mood of changing for a real one. The “branch spacing” of my artificial one is… too spacey! I didn’t know about the species though.
Absolutely REAL tree every Christmas. Love the Fraser fir.
@TMS: What a great story! Thanks so much for sharing that.
@DNW: If you don’t like a lot of space between branches, stay away from the Noble firs.
@Holly: Am I sensing the live tree lovers are starting to make a comeback here?
(Please, folks, if you love live trees, let us know here!!)
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