Published: December 12, 2008 01:05 pm      

O Tannenbaum

How to choose the perfect Christmas tree

Laura Snipes of Snipes Christmas Tree Farm in Rochester has been in the business for 44 years, and she says she has enjoyed watching families stop in a pick out their tree for the holiday season.

“I’ve been around it forever, and I love the work,” she said.

While the tree farm used to sell wholesale, Snipes said she now offers customers the opportunity to cut their own trees.

“It’s worked out real well,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve seen a lot of the same people.”

According to a news release from the Pulaski County Purdue Extension Office, Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since around 1850.

In recent years, 21 percent of trees sold were from chain stores, 15 percent from non-profit organizations, 13 percent from retail lots and 35 percent from choose-and-cut farms.

Miller’s Tree Farm in Idaville offers pre-cut trees, but the farm’s Darryl Miller said most people prefer to cut their own.

While families can choose the size and shape of tree they want, Miller said, there is another benefit as well.

“The biggest thing about going to a tree farm is the experience,” he said. “It’s about the family, and it’s what the kids remember when they grow up.”

On weekends, the tree farm offers hay rides to the tree patch and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The goal is to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Snipes said the memories made a visit to the tree farm special.

“To me, it’s fun when you see the families come out and watch them cut,” she said. “Those kind of memories are invaluable to me. I love tradition.”

Once a tree is cut, both Snipes and Miller say it can last into January if cared for properly.

The key is water.

“The main thing is to put the tree into a stand with good water capacity,” said Miller. “Many of the trees at the box stores have been cut for awhile because they have to be shipped in time.”

For those looking to buy a tree in town, Miller said, the best test of freshness is to bend a needle between two fingers and see if it bends or breaks. If it breaks, he said, you should move on to the next tree.

He also urged residents buying a pre-cut tree to cut an inch of the trunk off right before placing the tree into the stand.

“Never let the tree stand go dry,” he emphasized. “The bottom of the trunk is like a wound on the skin. Once it seals over, it seals out the water. A fresh cut opens the pores to take up the moisture.”

Snipes said it was also important to keep the tree away from heat, which will dry out the tree more quickly.

As for the type of tree each family finally decides on, Miller and Snipe said it varied from one person to the next.

Miller said most people look for a straight tree with a nice shape and a good top for that star or angel.

He said another key factor was size.

“The trees look much smaller in the field than in the house,” he said.

As for Snipes, she hadn’t figured out why families decide on a particular tree.

“They haven’t really told me,” she said. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some want tall, some want short, some want fat, and everything in between.”

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com