Oh Christmas tree

How to choose and care for our favourite holiday decoration

By Susan Spicer

Time to fetch Christmas.

So says Tante, the heroine of Shirley Climo's heartwarming story, Cobweb Christmas. Tante lives in a tiny cottage in Germany, long ago. As the December days grow shorter and nights lengthen, she heads into the forest on her donkey to find the perfect tree.

"Too big!" she said of some, and "Crooked as a pretzel!" of others. At last she spied a fir that grew straight, but not too tall, bushy, but not wide. When the wind blew, the tree bent and bobbed a curtsey to the little old woman.

"It wants to come for Christmas," Tante told the donkey, "and so it shall."

These days, Canadians are more likely to find their perfect tree at a farmers' market, street vendor, nursery or one of the many cut-your-own plantations that dot the countryside.

Michael Kol's eyes twinkle just like you-know-who as he drives his hay wagon packed with visitors, some wearing festive hats and shaking jingle bells, up to the height of land overlooking Rice Lake in the rolling hills of Northumberland County in Ontario. Here he tends thousands of white spruce and balsam, Fraser and Douglas fir. "Some people come back year after year and make a day of it. They bring along their lunch and maybe a wineskin… The new customers are fun too — I bring them up here and watch their jaw drop when they see the view."

Kol gestures to a field of Fraser fir on one side of the wagon trail, balsam on the other side and a grove of Douglas fir nestled in a protected hollow below. Which tree to choose? That depends partly on how long you want to keep it up, he says. But there are aesthetic considerations as well. "A tree is rather subjective," says Kol. "I have people come out here and say, ‘Where are the nice ones?" I show them and they say, ‘Oh no, they're too bushy, and we have lots of ornaments.'"

Fraser fir
For beauty and longevity, Kol swears by the Fraser fir, native of the corner of the world where Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia meet on slopes up to 5,000 feet above sea level. This tree will hold its needles for up to two months if properly cared for. "I've tried it. They will totally dry out, but they won't drop needles even when you're hauling them out the door." Here on the Kol plantation, they glisten silver in the sunshine. "That's because of the two wide silver lines on the underside of each needle," he explains.

Fred Somerville, a wholesaler who ships trees to retailers across North America from his plantation in Everett, Ontario, calls the Fraser fir the Cadillac of Christmas trees, with its beautifully layered appearance, deep lustrous green foliage and upswept branch angle. The branches are stiff, adds Kol, good for weighty ornaments.

Balsam fir
In Nova Scotia's Lunenburg County, designated the Balsam Fir Christmas Tree Capital of the World, they take pride in the hardiness and sturdiness of their balsams. "One of the reasons is the weather here — our Atlantic air conditioning," says Len Giffen, who is coordinator of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia. "We have the right mixture of fall and winter weather. A balsam needs a couple of good frosts in October. That freeze and thaw cycle hardens our trees off nicely." But the best thing about the balsam, says Giffen, is the intoxicating scent: It is Christmas.

This traditional favourite is grown in other parts of the country as well. The foliage is deep green, pliable and soft — "good for kid's hands," says Kol. They'll hold their needles four or five weeks, he says, but beyond that, "if you touch them, the needles will rain down." They're a first cousin of the Fraser and have the same two silver lines on the underside of the needle — just not as wide and bright.

Douglas fir
Kol also grows some Douglas fir, as a substitute for Scotch pine. They have the same cone shape and longer needles than the other fir trees, but they're softer with a bluish underside. Best of all, they have a beautiful citrusy aroma. "Often people who are allergic to other conifers aren't allergic to the Douglas fir," says Kol. These trees are indigenous to BC — and tricky to grow in harsher climates — so you may have to search (and pay a little more) for one of these.

Scotch and white pine
If properly cared for, says Somerville, a Scotch pine will last through the season, but there's usually a mess of needles to clean up at the end. The blue-green foliage is stiff and waxy and the needles are prickly, so these may not be the best choice if you've got kids who like to help decorate. This is the only tree where you need to look for a straight trunk, says Kol. "A Scotch pine does not like to grow straight."

If you love the bushy, cone-shaped look of a pine but not the prickly needles, consider a white pine with its soft, flexible foliage. These trees need to be handled carefully; they tend to be more delicate, able to support only light decorations.

White spruce
For some folks, it's got to be a spruce because they tend to be less bushy, so ornaments can hang nicely in the spaces between the branches. This species has short needles, a medium blue-green colour and a stiff, prickly texture. But don't put one up too early: They'll last only 10 days to two weeks in the house before they drop their needles, says Kol.

Care and feeding
Now that you've picked your tree, see if the grower will bale it (wrap it so that the branches are held close to the trunk) for you, which will make it easier to set up. (If you're not going to set it up right away, store your tree outdoors.) Then follow these steps to help ensure your tree keeps its needles until well after the wrapping paper flies:

Re-cut the trunk about half an inch from the bottom before you bring it in the house, says Somerville. "That way you reopen the cells so the tree can take up water. If you don't do this, the resins will scab over."
Choose a relatively cool spot. Your tree will do better if it's not standing near a heat source like a vent, a television or a fireplace.
Attach your stand. "The best kind of stand is one that holds lots of water and has a wide stance," says Kol, who likes one with four bolts that hold the trunk in place and has a large bucket with a capacity of about three gallons of water.
Add hot water. "You don't need to add anything else. Our growers' association has done tests adding sugar, fertilizer, a shot of vodka…. You're better off drinking that," quips Kol. "Plain hot water is best, as hot as you can get it out of the tap."
Now take the baling off. It's much easier if you wait until the tree is up to do this, says Kol.
Don't let it dry out. In the first few days, the tree will take up an enormous amount of water, says Somerville, so keep it topped up. This is critical to keeping your tree fresh. Most trees will take up about a quart of water a day.
A well-watered tree is a safe tree. Somerville says there are reports of house fires where a fresh Christmas tree didn't catch fire. "A tree that isn't allowed to dry out isn't a fire hazard." Make sure to turn off the lights at night or when no one is at home, use Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approved lights, and never, ever use candles.

How green is a Christmas tree?
Is using a real tree for a few weeks over the season and then chucking it out really an environment-friendly practice? Growers argue that they produce a crop just like other farmers, but one that takes 10 to 12 years before it's ready to harvest. Marc Gaudet, who is executive director of the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers' Association, says trees are often grown on barren slopes or under power lines, land unsuitable for any other crop. In addition, an acre of trees removes 13,000 kg of airborne pollutants per year, improves soil stability and can be recycled.

"The most important thing is what happens to the tree after," agrees Rachel Plotkin, who is forest campaigner for the Sierra Club of Canada. Most municipalities have programs where trees are picked up mid-January and turned into wood chips for mulch. For the greenest possible tree, Plotkin suggests consumers follow the three principles of sustainability: buy locally, try to find a product grown with as few pesticides and herbicides as possible, and choose a native species.

Here are other ways to reuse your tree, from the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association:

Create a backyard bird feeder, with hanging suet balls and other treats for feathered friends.
Use the branches to mulch your shrubs. Then, in the summer, use the trunk as a beanpole in the garden.
Use this year's tree, cut into suitable lengths, for the first holiday fire next season.

If you have some wooded acreage of your own, you might like to borrow Vancouver Island resident Greg Seaman's idea. "In the past, throwing out a tree left us feeling just a bit guilty," he says. Now he and his family enjoy showing off their "constructed" tree: "We find two or three of the scrubbiest, most deformed trees in the area and bind them together to make one tree," explains Seaman. "We look for ones growing in conflict with healthier specimens. Putting the two trees together requires some snipping of branches to allow them to fit together nicely. It helps if one person stands back and looks while the other does the clipping."

What about a living tree? If you're interested in purchasing a live potted tree that can be used for several seasons, talk to a nursery owner well in advance of the holidays, says Somerville. Live potted trees have to spend most of their time in a hole outside, and December is usually too late for digging. "Most potted trees are white or Colorado (blue) spruce," he says, and need a slow transition from the outdoors to the warmth of the house. That might mean taking your tree out of the ground and keeping it in the garage for a few days. Live potted trees can only stay in the house, well watered, for about a week. They are then replanted in the hole outside and covered over with mulch.

There it stands — your best tree ever. Time to gather up excited children to snuggle on the couch and watch the tinsel dance with light. Why do we love our Christmas trees so much? Perhaps it's because they tell our story. Among the boughs, we hang the tokens of who we are — our love for one another, our memories, our dreams, our hopes.

A deep-rooted tradition
The custom of decking the halls with evergreens harkens back to a time long before the advent of Christianity, when winter-weary northerners brought greenery into their homes and temples as a symbol of everlasting life during winter solstice festivities. As the shortest day of the year passed, they knew the days would begin to lengthen and the sun would return. And sure enough, every year the sun did come back and the fields and the orchards flourished once again.

It wasn't until about the 15th century in Germany that evergreens became part of Christian holiday celebrations. Medieval miracle plays performed on feast days were designed to tell villagers Bible stories. December 24 was Adam and Eve Day and so the Creation story was performed. But this proved problematic: where to find a suitable tree of life? An apple tree was the ideal, but in the dead of winter? Some enterprising impresario came up with the idea of tying apples to the boughs of a fir tree, and the Paradeisbaum (Paradise tree) was born. The idea quickly caught on as Germans brought the custom home, and over time, gilded nuts, gingerbread cookies and marzipan candies joined the apples on the boughs.

Another legend claims that Protestant reformer Martin Luther, while on a walk one night, was captivated by the spectacle of stars glinting through evergreen branches and was inspired to wire candles to the branches of a fir tree for his children — the first tannenbaum.

In Canada, the first Christmas tree is thought to have been a gift of Baron Riedesel to his wife on Christmas Eve in 1781, while they were stationed at a garrison in Sorel, Quebec. The highlight of their Christmas party was a balsam fir, resplendent with candlelight, in the corner of the dining room.

The freshness test
If you're buying a tree from a vendor, make sure it hasn't dried out, advises Natural Resources Canada:

Draw the end of a branch through your fingers; the needles should slide through without coming off.
Bang the stump sharply on the ground. A fresh tree will lose only a few needles.
Fold a needle back until the tip touches the stem to make a circle. If it breaks or doesn't bounce back, chances are the tree is old and dry. If it's cold out, hold the needles in your hand to thaw them first.

The sweet sound of children's voices
For several years when their children were young, Rob Fortin and Susan Newman taped the candid conversations that unfolded while the family decorated their Christmas tree. One features a young Joe playing "Jingle Bells" on his three-quarter size violin. Those recordings are a real treasure, says Fortin, now that the boys are teenagers. "It is amazing how their voices have changed. They sound like elves on those early recordings."

Toddler-friendly tree
When Kim Fullerton's son was a toddler, she says, "We wanted a tree, but were worried about the ornaments breaking or creating a danger for him. I took all the small stuffed animals I could find, tied red and green ribbons around them, and sat them throughout the branches of the tree. He could look, touch and play, without us worrying about his safety.

It took all the stress out of having the tree."

Memories are made of this

Susan Rogers recalls coming home from university one year and her mom asking what she'd brought to hang on the tree. Rogers' family Christmas trees had always been decorated with souvenirs and mementos of trips, milestones and crafts. "It was the last thing on my mind as I was packing, but I reached in my pocket and there was the pencil I had used to write my last exam. My mom tied a ribbon on it and now she hangs it up every year. When we decorate the tree, we get to remember all the things we have done over the years. It's wonderful."

Originally published in Today's Parent Family Living, Winter 2004