Christmas Tree Blog

Christmas trees are a very popular decoration used to celebrate the holiday “Christmas”. While it is a Christian holiday largely popular in the United States; Christmas is practiced around the world and because of that Christmas trees are a common sight. Sometimes referred to as a Yule tree or a Tannenbaum (fir tree in German) the Christmas tree is the staple of Christmas decoration but decorations do not simply stop at the tree. People will use a wide assortment of items to decorate their Christmas trees with including ribbons, lights, puppets, food & candy, garland, ornaments and almost all of them are adorned with angels or stars. The angels and stars represent the Star of David and the host of angels that were present during the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian messiah.

Each year millions of Americans go out to the nearest Christmas tree lot and find the tree perfect for their home. Most people buy their tree from one of these common lots but there are other ways of obtaining this ever popular Christmas decoration. One popular way is to go to a tree farm and physically choose and cut the tree by yourself or with the help of the farm staff. This is a popular option in rural areas because it is available and a great activity for the entire family to participate in. Another option is to go to the forest and cut your tree down but this is not recommended. It is dangerous and most likely illegal in your area. Then there is the third option; purchase a tree online. Many people do not use this option simply because they do not realize it’s an option. Mail order Christmas trees have been available for a long time but remained largely unknown to the general public. Today since internet shopping is becoming more popular there are becoming more and more websites that offer real Christmas trees through the internet.

Most every retailer of fresh Christmas trees advertises “quality” Christmas trees, but what does this really mean? What are the standards by which a purchaser should judge the quality of a real Christmas tree?

If a fresh Christmas tree is purchased on a Christmas tree lot or at a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm, most consumers know how to judge freshness and they use the “eye-ball” standard of quality of appearance (i.e., they size up the Christmas tree visually to determine the aesthetic quality). Like beauty, quality is in the eye of the beholder. However, an on-line purchaser of a real Christmas tree needs to rely more heavily on the representations of the on-line retailer with respect to both freshness and other quality standards.

The United States Department of Agriculture has established standards for grading the quality of real Christmas trees. In descending order, the quality grades defined by the USDA standards are: “

US premium”, “US No. 1” and “US No. 2”. Some of the key criteria used by the USDA to grade a real Christmas tree include the following:

· “Fresh” – the needles on the Christmas tree are “green, pliable and firmly attached”

· “Clean” – the tree is not cluttered with foreign material

· “Healthy” – the tree’s needles have a “fresh, natural appearance” typical for the species

· “Well shaped” – sufficient branches in number and length to form a symmetrical cone-shape tapering upward from the base of the tree

· “Density” – the amount of branches and needles on a tree

A “US Premium” grade real Christmas tree has the following characteristics: fresh, clean healthy, well-shaped, high density, three faces with only one minor defect and the remaining face with no more than one minor defect. For these purposes, a “minor defect” is a “slight imperfection” caused by handling of the tree.

A “US No. 1” real Christmas tree is fresh, fairly clean, healthy, well-shaped, three faces with no more than 2 minor defects and the remaining face no more than one noticeable defect. A “noticeable defect” is an imperfection in the development of the tree or one caused by handling in either case materially affecting the tree’s overall appearance.

If purchasing a real Christmas tree on-line, a consumer should confirm that the quality representations are consistent with the USDA standards. The best way to do this, if the website does not clearly state the basis for any claims of “quality”, is to ask the on-line retailer if the asserted quality is based on the USDA quality standards for grading real Christmas trees.

For further information regarding the USDA standards, you can see a pdf copy of the USDA’s “United States Standards for grade of Christmas Trees”, reprinted January 1997 at Christmas Tree Standards.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES OF REAL CHRISTMAS TREES

When purchasing a Christmas tree, the most environmentally favorable choice is a real Christmas tree. The ecological advantages of a real Christmas tree over an artificial Christmas tree are numerous. 

Production of oxygen

Each acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement of 18 people. With over 500,000 acres of Christmas trees in the United States, that translates into nine million people a day supplied with oxygen from these trees.

Of equal value is the fact the real Christmas trees consume carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas thus helping with the battle against global warming. The EPA asserts that one of the best ways to reduce global warming is to plant trees. Christmas tree growers plant 2 or 3 new seedlings for every cut tree.

Effective Land Use

Christmas trees are often grown on land unsuitable for other crops. 
Today nearly all of the real Christmas trees sold at seasonal Christmas-tree lots or sold on-line are grown on tree farms. As a result, according to the American Forests, a Washington, D.C.-based conservation nonprofit, American forests are not damaged by Christmas tree sales. ”One might think that fake trees are the better choice, but the opposite is true, since Christmas tree farms provide substantial benefits to the environment,” says Jenna Rose, managing editor of AFreshSqueeze.com. “While it may seem environmentally insensitive to chop down a tree and decorate it, real trees are actually more eco-friendly.”

Biodegradable and Recyclable 

Recycling a real Christmas tree has many benefits for the environment. Rather than clogging already strained landfills, chipping or mulching trees can produce valuable compost to assist in the growth of gardens and other beneficial plants. Compost nourishes and renews soil and promotes water retention. Recycled real Christmas trees have even been used in some communities to prevent soil erosion, sedimentation control and fish and other wildlife habitats. The National Christmas Tree Association cooperates with Earth 911, an Arizona-based conservation group to help purchasers of real Christmas trees dispose of their Christmas trees in an eco-friendly manner. Earth 911’s website identifies more than 3,800 places for recycling real Christmas trees.

In short, if you want to do your part to promote a green Christmas, the only viable choice is to purchase a real Christmas tree.

Xmas Trees
We all know what a Christmas tree is, but an X-mas Tree? Where the term X-mas come from anyway, I thought Christmas was about Christ. Well some people think that it was just easier and naturally came into use. Others think that an X represents the cross that Christ died on. Neither of these are true, as Christ was crucified on a cross or a “t”. X-mas or sometimes pronounced as “eksmas” came from handwriting abbreviations for the original word “Christmas”.

Long before the term “X-mas” ever came about people shortened the word “Christ” and was written as “XP” or “Xt”. Some references to this fact date back as far as 1021 AD.The greek word Χριστος means Christ and is in part where X-mas came from. X has long been an abbreviation for the word “Christ”.
For example, in the original manuscript of the New Testament X was used as an abbreviation for Christos. There is simple history to explain where this terminology came from. Despite this fact there are many who believe this to be an Atheist conspiracy or a ploy to make Christmas politically correct. In the

United States especially there has been attempts to secularize Christmas and exploit it as a holiday for selling gifts rather than focusing on the true spirit of Christmas which is generosity, giving and love. This year when you’re buying your “X-mas tree” try to remember what Christmas is all about.

Did you know that you can buy your next Christmas Tree on-line? I’m not talking about artificial trees here…I’m talking about Real, premium and farm fresh Christmas trees. A company called Tannenbaum’s Christmas Tree Company sells only the finest grade No. 1 trees nationwide.

What are the advantages of buying your next Christmas Tree on-line you ask? Well I will highlight a few.

1. CONVENIENCE - If you love having a real Christmas tree but hate having to go down to the lot or to a Christmas tree farm somewhere far away to pick up your tree. Tannenbaum’s will hand pick and bale, box and ship your Christmas tree right to your door.

2. FRESHNESS - Whether you buy your Christmas tree from a small lot, chain home improvement store or the local grocery store you might be suprised to know that most these trees were cut weeks before they arrived at any of the locations mentioned above. Tannenbaum’s Christmas trees are cut within 24-48 hours from when the time you order…thus guaranteeing the freshest Christmas tree possible.

We will be offering free Christmas tree wallpapers for this season. These were created by professional artists exclusively for us. We will be adding to this section over the next several months in order to give you a wide variety of Christmas Tree wallpapers to choose from. We hope you like them. Here are the first two:

Christmas Tree Grunge Wallpaper 1:

1600 x 1200

Christmas Tree Grunge Wallpaper 2:

1600 x 1200

April 20 2007 - Today Tannenbaum’s Christmas Tree Co. launched it’s new corporate blog site here at www.tannenbaumstrees.com. This blog site intends to discuss all aspects of real Christmas trees including safety and species information as well as decorating tips and much more.

Tannenbaum’s offers the finest premium Real Christmas Trees, wreaths and other related products available.