When you are out looking for a tree, you will stop at your local Christmas tree shop and either cut one down yourself or find one that is already cut and just waiting for you to come and get it. Many lots have trees that are shipped in from areas where trees are in abundance. The Christmas tree shop is selling the trees that they buy in large quantities. Some Christmas tree shop owners set up shop on a tree farm where you are allowed to go out, pick your tree, and saw it down yourself.



Many of the owners of a Christmas tree shop choose what types of trees they want to carry. They can have a choice of a White Spruce, Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce or a Virginia Pine. These trees are chopped down around the months of October and November and shipped to your area on a big flatbed truck. When you visit the Christmas tree shop, you will find that all trees are in different areas so you can easily look for the tree you want. Some trees have short needles and others have long needles. If you visit a Christmas tree shop that has a Christmas tree farm, you will only have a choice of whatever trees are grown in your specific area. When you do search for the perfect Christmas tree, many people prefer a tree that is already cut down and waiting to be put on the car top and taken home.

Decide on where you will place the tree. Will it be seen from all sides or will some of it be up against a wall? Be sure to choose a spot away from heat sources, such as TVs, fireplaces, radiators and air ducts. Place the tree clear of doors. Measure the height and width of the space you have available in the room where the tree will be placed. There is nothing worse than bringing a tree indoors only to find it's too tall. Take a tape measure with you to measure your chosen tree and bring a cord to tie your tree to the car.

Remember that trees sold on retail lots in urban areas may have come from out of state and may have been exposed to drying winds in transit. They may have been cut weeks earlier.Buy trees early before the best trees have been sold and where trees are shaded.Ask the retailer whether his trees are delivered once at the beginning of the season or are they delivered at different times during the selling season. Choose a fresh tree. A fresh tree will have a healthy green appearance with few browning needles. Needles should be flexible and not fall off if you run a branch through your hand. Raise the tree a few inches off the ground and drop it on the butt end. Very few green needles should drop off the tree. It is normal for a few inner brown needles to drop off.

When you leave the Christmas tree shop, you will want to place your tree in water as soon as you get home. Some people shop early for a tree and then keep it outside until a few weeks before Christmas. This is fine as long as you keep the tree in water to provide moisture. When you are looking for a tree at a Christmas tree shop, keep in mind that most places do not water the trees, therefore, make sure the tree is still flourishing and not loosing it needles. Real trees are beautiful when decorated and the kids enjoy going along to pick out the perfect tree with mom and dad. You can find some tree shops that do not have some healthy trees, then you need to look somewhere else. If the tree is in poor health, it will most likely not make it to New Years.