November is the usual time to gear up for decking your halls. Most people use Thanksgiving as the kickoff point to officially launch their fa-la-la-la-la-ing for the season. They’ll be pulling the boxes of lights out of the attic and dusting off the ol’ Santa and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shaker set even as the turkey is basting and the giblets are simmering.
In fact, 55% of Americans polled in a survey by Axios said they put up their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.
Whether to go fresh-cut or artificial is a battle as old as dog vs. cat and chicken vs. egg, and there are very valid arguments on both sides of the tree stand. But if you’re Team Live Tree, we have some pointers on picking and preserving the perfect pine, straight from the tree farmer’s mouth.
Way to Grow!
Ray Carroll and his wife, Pat, aptly named their North Georgia tree farm “Christmas Carroll.” The Carroll family has been planting and growing Christmas spirit for more than a quarter-century now. He bought 3.5 acres of land next to his home in LaFayette back in 1995, planted his first 200 little saplings, and three years later, they had grown into healthy adult trees ready to holly-jolly someone’s home. He began selling cut-your-own trees from his fields in 1998 and kept planting more.