Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree: Part Four

More Top 10 Choices

6.  Eastern Red Cedar:  While it ranks number 6, many consider an Eastern Red Cedar the quintessential Christmas tree of the South. However, I now live in Florida and while I really don’t consider this tropically touristy area “the South," I can’t remember ever seeing any Eastern Red Cedars in the local Christmas tree lots.  I’m told that they are more often available at tree farms and cut-your-own plantations, which is way North of here.  I’ll have to have one of my elves check out the Florida Panhandle market.  What intrigues me about this possibly perfect Christmas tree choice is the color possibilities.  There is the traditional dark green, and bluish green, but also silvery, gray green, bronze and even better than that?  PURPLE!  We need to get some of these shipped down here.  Plus they are very aromatic.  On the down side, the needles are sharp and prickly, and there isn’t much room for hanging ornaments.  But some of the cultivars come in BRONZE and PURPLE.  I think that’s a fair trade.  The needles are short and – I’ll be honest here – a little funky looking, but that in itself could be an exciting new challenge.

It might not be my first choice for the perfect Christmas tree, but bronze and purple are just to delectable to ignore.

7. White Spruce: Another traditional family favorite, the White Spruce is THE perfect Christmas tree for hanging ornaments.  They have a lovely natural shape, with the branches having rounded tips.  Their color ranges from green to bluish green, with the needles being ½ to ¾ inches long.  On some Christmas tree websites, it ranks the second worst tree for needle retention – Yikes! – and the needle texture, while not homicidal aren’t very soft either. The needles also have a nasty odor when crushed.  Just how nasty is nasty? On the National Christmas Tree Association web site it refers to nicknames such as “skunk spruce” or “cat spruce.”  With all that being said, it has such a pure and lovely form, it just has to be on your list to at least consider.  Just don’t go around crushing the needles. 

8. Eastern White Pine: Even though the Eastern White Pine is the state tree of Michigan, I don’t believe I ever purchased one.  Mainly because they have very little scent, which is a good thing if you have allergies, but not so good if you like lying on the couch near the tree and smelling it all season long.  Many of the Eastern White Pine are sheared to perfection for the Christmas market, but their long needles (2 ½ - 5 inches) make them a little bushy for someone with large hanging ornaments.  They range in color from a soft bluish green to silvery green and the needles are soft to the touch.  Because of the flexible branches, this would not be the perfect Christmas tree choice if you have heavy ornaments.  In spite of its shortcomings, the classic beauty, outstanding needle retention as well as it’s usually reasonable cost makes it a Christmas tree worth considering every year. 

9.  White Fir aka Concolor:  This is “the go to” tree in the State of California and well it should be.  Its needles are ½ to 1 ½ inches long that range in color from bluish green to a matte green, depending on maturity. What makes the White Fir a perfect Christmas tree selection is that it grows in the classic “Christmas Tree” shape of our memories and has wonderfully straight trunks.  Any of us who have struggled to put up a crooked trunked tree know how important this trait is.  It also has a pleasant odor, not so much a harsh “piney” scent but with a fresh almost citrusy overlay, which would also make it a wonderful choice anywhere citrus is grown. Like FLORIDA.  Since my specifications for a perfect Christmas tree often change year to year, I have purchased several of these in the past.  Not just because the price was right, but because there is a whimsical quality to the way the branches grow, fluffy with a slight curve. It reminds me of the kind of tree the Waltons would have or those Little House on the Prairie girls.  It just looks real and traditional.

10.  Virginia Pine:  And last, but surely not least, the Virginia Pine.  The Virginia Pine has long been the traditional tree choice below the Mason Dixon Line.  (That means here in the south, ya’ll).  Over the years, when no one was bothering to send any of the Scotch Pines south, we could always get Virginia Pine.  While not a “take your breath away” stunner, they have great color variants, from a dark rich green to a silvery gray.  The needles grow from 1 ½ - 3 inches long.  They have a lovely natural shape with good needle retention.  They can be a little bushy, but this tree is so pretty all it really needs are lights.  This could be the perfect Christmas tree for those who want to just do ribbons or simple decorations. 

Here's a big shout out of "Thanks" to Rick Dungey, the Public Relations Manager over at The National Christmas Tree Association who so graciously allowed me to use these photos from their website.  For a lot more information about Christmas Trees, check them out at:  http://www.christmastree.org

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree: Part Three

The Right Type of Christmas Tree:

The NCTA (National Christmas Tree Association) has listed the following 16 trees as the most common trees used as Christmas trees in the United States:

• Arizona Cypress
• Balsam Fir
• Canaan Fir
• Colorado Blue Spruce
• Concolor Fir (White Fir)
• Douglas Fir
• Eastern Red Cedar
• Eastern White Pine
• Fraser Fir
• Grand Fir
• Leyland Cypress
• Noble Fir
• Norway Spruce
• Scotch White Pine
• Virginia Pine
• White Spruce

Each of these Christmas trees have their own distinct shape, color, needle retention qualities, spacing of branches, scent, strength of branches, length of needle and availability. And one of these trees is probably YOUR perfect Christmas tree.

The National Christmas Tree Association’s Top 5:

1. Fraser Fir:  This national favorite is the one most folks envision when picking the perfect Christmas tree.  It’s pyramidal in shape with rich green needles.  The Fraser Fir’s branches point skyward and sometimes reveal the silvery lighter underside of the needles.  The variety of color and the way light plays off of the dark and light, gives this Christmas tree depth and beauty. 

Their branches are strong and are a good choice for those of you with large and heavy ornaments.  The needles are between ½ - 1 inch long and soft to the touch with spaces between the branches, which makes it perfect Christmas tree for those of us who want to show off our ornament collections.  The Fraser Fir ships well and not only has excellent needle retention but a lovely scent as well. 

Because of its popularity, it is readily available across the United States and its pricing will usually be in the middle of the road.  Not the most expensive tree on the lot, but not the cheapest either.  Depending on where you live, the Fraser Fir is also known as the Southern Balsam or sometimes the Southern Balsam Fir. 

2. Douglas Fir: This is the Christmas tree of my childhood memories.  The Douglas Fir is also known by 47 other names from Alpine Hemlock to Puget Sound Pine – depending what part of the country your are in.  And while it’s not a true fir, it doesn’t seem to matter to those of us on a mission of picking the perfect Christmas tree. 

The Douglas Fir is so popular that it is shipped all over the world.  Its color can range from dark green to blue green.  The needles are 1 – 1 ½ inches long and quite soft to the touch, and I would qualify it as a long needled tree.  They have a pleasant almost sweet aroma when the needles are crushed, and that scent will last all season long if the tree is well maintained.

Sometimes these trees are sheared to a “perfect” shape which makes them a little difficult to decorate, as the branches are so full, they don’t allow much room for ornaments to dangle down.  Its branches are not the firmest, so if you have big, heavy ornaments, this might not be the perfect Christmas tree for you.  However, the Douglas Fir has excellent needle retention as long as you KEEP IT WATERED. 

3. Balsam Fir:  The Balsam Fir is so similar to the Fraser Fir that unless they are standing side by side with identification tags on them, I can’t tell them apart.  I have bought many of these beauties over the years, probably because I’m such a sucker for the classic shape and fantastic fragrance that just screams “It’s Christmas.”  It has dark green needles with a silvery cast and are approximately ¾ - 1 ½ inches long and soft to the touch.  The branches point upward but not as much as the Fraser.  Therefore, the underside of the needle isn’t exposed as much and I don’t think it has the color depth of the Fraser.  It does have excellent needle retention  which make it the perfect Christmas tree for those who stretch the holiday season from Thanksgiving to Super Bowl Sunday.    It is pyramidal in shape  with a delicate spire tip, the perfect stage for a well loved tree topper.  The branches are flexible so your heavier ornaments will have to be hung a little closer to the trunk. This tree is so lovely and so popular that it has been duplicated as an artificial tree from the very beginning. 

4. Colorado Blue Spruce: This tree has long been a favorite for decades, not just in the United States but in Europe as well.  I’m pretty sure that this is the Christmas tree that Santa has at the North Pole.  To me, it’s the most distinctive tree on the market.  The Colorado Blue Spruce can range in color from a dull blue gray to a blue that is so silvery that, sometimes, it doesn’t even look real. 

It is pyramidal in shape and very symmetrical.  The needles are 1 – 1 ½ inches long on the lower branches with shorter near the top.  Out of all the Christmas trees, the Colorado Blue Spruce is one of the best for needle retention.  The branches are strong so it’s the perfect Christmas tree to display heavy ornaments, and there are spaces between the branches allowing longer ornaments to dangle.  Like many of the trees in the Spruce family, it doesn’t have the softest needles, so handle with care.  As much as I love this tree, there are two caveats:  It doesn’t rate very well on the smell-o-meter.  And it is usually the most expensive trees on the lot.  This another one of the Christmas trees often duplicated into an artificial prelit commodity. 

5. Scotch Pine aka Scots Pine: If you feel even a little bad about participating in the killing of trees in the name of Christmas, the Scotch Pine might appease your guilty green conscious. 

The good news is that this tree is the most widely planted tree for commercial Christmas tree sales in the United States.  It as planted specifically to be cut down, and fulfill its Christmas destiny.  And there are several reasons why it’s so popular.  First off the color which varies from a rich, dark green to bluish green to bright green.  It has stiff, strong branches which makes it the perfect Christmas tree choice if you have collected a lot of heavy ornaments.  The needles are 1 – 3 inches long and a Scotch Pine won’t drop it’s needles when it dries out.  And the sharp pine scent lasts all season.  On the down side, the branches can be so close together there is little space between them  for hanging ornaments and the needles are very sharp. But back to the good news: as it is so widely available and so wildly popular it can be a very affordable choice when you’re watching your Christmas tree budget. 
Here's a big shout out of "Thanks" to Rick Dungey, the Public Relations Manager over at The National Christmas Tree Association who so graciously allowed me to use these photos from their website. For a lot more information about Christmas trees, check them out at: http://www.christmastree.org

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree: Part Two

In my 50 plus years as a Christmas Addict, I’ve had every kind of a perfect Christmas tree imaginable, as my idea of perfection is directly related to my anticipation, inspiration and desperation. 

I’ve had large trees, short trees and table top trees.  I’ve had fat trees and skinny trees, trees that were too sparse and trees that were so full that the ornaments could not hang down.  I’ve had blue trees, green trees, silver trees and -- unfortunately --a few youbrown trees.  There have been long needled trees, short needled trees, soft needled trees and needles so sharp they drew blood on the very hands that decorated them. 

Over the years, my perfect Christmas trees have had straight trunks and trees with trunks so crooked that they had to be hung from the ceiling by fishing line and an eye bolt.  I’ve had trees that smelled lovely all season and trees that stunk so bad I had to open a window.  There have been live trees, artificial trees and half dead trees.  Some of my perfect Christmas trees held their needles until Super Bowl Sunday and some lost their needles by December 1^st.  I’ve bought trees from florists, designated tree lots, the Boy Scouts, the North Fort Myers Marching Band, the feed store, Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's, a country store/liquor store/tavern, a “U Cut” Christmas tree farm, and trees from my own acreage.

With all this experience, there is just one thing I know for sure – there are NO ugly Christmas trees, and that includes that Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  Who knew back in 1965 when I first saw A Charlie Brown Christmas that one day, you could actually buy it. 

Go figure.                           

But I digress.  In your quest for picking the perfect Christmas tree, I urge you to be a little pickier than me.  Regardless of your taste and definitions of perfection, here are some tips to help you choose the perfect Christmas tree before you even leave your home.

Determine your tree needs:

•   Do you have limited space?
•   Do you have a particular spot that the tree absolutely has to go?
•   How tall a tree do you need?  Measure the area where the tree is going from floor to ceiling.  Don’t forget to subtract inches or feet to accommodate the tree topper and the Christmas tree stand, plus another 2-6 inches you'll need to trim off the bottom of the trunk in order to water it.  If the average price is $20 a foot, do you really want to cut off and throw away $40 worth of tree?
•  How wide a tree do you need?  Do you really want to watch TV through the branches of your Christmas tree?
• Is there anyone in your family or who will be visiting your home during the holidays that have allergy issues?
•  What’s your budget? Your perfect Christmas tree will not only fit in your home, but in your budget as well.

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree: Part One

Defining Perfection

Everyone has their own idea of the Perfect Christmas Tree. I’m sure my idea is different than yours and both of our ideals are different from the professional Christmas tree grower.

Perfection comes in all sizes, shapes,colors and scents. Some of us want the Christmas tree of our childhood memories. The perfect Christmas tree was the center of our holiday traditions.  Some of us have matured and we want that sparkly tree that we saw on Martha Stewart or in Southern Living magazine. Some of us are simple trying to forget the trees of Christmases past.

So take a few moments and define your version of The Perfect Christmas Tree for you and your family. Here are some things to consider:

• Height
• Width
• Fullness
• Length of needles
• Color
• Scent

Remember: You will pay for perfection. A perfect Christmas tree that is perfectly fresh and perfectly symmetrical along with a perfectly straight trunk and perfect all the way around is going to cost you big time. And I don’t know if a "perfect" Christmas trees really exists. 

In your pursuit of picking the perfect Christmas tree consider where you might be willing to compromise. If your tree is going into a corner or against a wall does it really need to be perfect all the way around? Can I tell you how many times we’ve “turned the bare spot to the wall” -- every year since 1958. Nobody noticed and in the end, nobody cared. In my experience that one bare spot that you didn’t see at the lot will end up being the perfect place for that over-sized ornament you never know what to do with.

Probably the one characteristic to stand strong on is the shape of the trunk. Granted, no one will see it but the actual installing of the tree in the stand sets the mood for the whole Christmas tree trimming experience and no one wants that job to take 5 hours. On a Sunday. With all your kids sitting patiently. With boxes of breakable ornaments on their laps. And that very special one that they spent all week making at school.

In retrospect, the trunk doesn’t even have to be that perfect. Just make sure that the bottom foot of the tree trunk – the part going in the stand – is as straight and as true as possible. And make sure that that perfectly straight tree trunk will fit inside your tree stand. If your tree stand is in two parts, why not take the cup part with you and try it on for size.

And it won’t hurt to remind your honey that you when you were picking out the perfect Christmas tree, you sacrificed the one you really wanted in order to get a straight trunk for him.