Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree - North Carolina NPR News

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree

November 25, 2011 | Kathryn Mobley

Friday morning, Ann Garland was out with her family at Chris's Trees on the corner of Peace Haven and Robinhood Roads. She picked out a Fraser Fir and describes the characteristics she's looking for in a live Christmas tree. Her daughter-in-law Debbie Petree says the distinctive smell of a live tree puts the whole family in the Christmas spirit. William Cathey is one of the salesmen helping Ann and makes sure the tree she's picked out will fit inside the holder it will live in while in her home. According to Cathey, business has been good. Yesterday they had 100 trees and by Friday morning, they'd sold 26. Chris's Trees gets its Fraser Firs from a tree farm in Allegheny County. Annually, more than five million Christmas trees are harvested from North Carolina's 1,000 or so growers in the western part of our state, making North Carolina the second-largest Christmas tree producer in the country. Last year, North Carolina's Christmas tree industry generated about $85 million for the state's economy. Cathey recommends that when buying a live tree to make sure it is about a foot shorter than the room it will be in and that it has ample width room. He also recommends watering it every other day to keep it green and prevent needles from falling.