Types of Live Christmas Trees

As a Realtor, I value my previous sales experience as I believe it helps me grow my business. My listing-side clients appreciate my ability to sell their property and my buy-side clients appreciate my ability to network with other advisers and work with them to close a transaction.

Believe it or not, being the principal broker of a growing real estate brokerage wasn't my first sales job. Growing up I worked a Boy Scout Christmas tree lot from November through December each year. We would set up shop in the parking lot of the local grocery store in Saint Paul each year and by late November we were moving Christmas trees.

The first question you have to ask yourself is do you even want a live Christmas tree? So to be clear, the "live" tree you'd be buying from that boy scout isn't actually live, it died a month or so ago when it was cut down. "live" just means it was living and if you put it in water it will help it sustain its color longer.

Live trees can shed their needles when they dry out and they may not be shaped perfect like an artificial tree. Plus you will want to throw it away or recycle it come January.

That said, Live trees make your home smell amazing, are more traditional, and don't take up storage space since you don't keep them year round.

There are two general types, short needle and long needle.

Short Needle - This is going to be your most popular type of tree, the Balsam Fir. It is a short needle pine that grows in boreal-type forests in Canada, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan. Frazier Firs are also very popular, though often a bit more expensive. They grow in the southern US and have a little more blue-ish tint to them.

Long Needle - The two most popular long needle trees are the Scotch pine and White pine trees. Scotch pines are generally a more in-expensive tree and have some spots where branches didn't grow but they can be covered with some lights or garland. Scotch pines have a harder needle. White pine trees are very soft and have a great smell.

Whichever tree you choose, make sure you cut about two+ inches off the bottom before putting it into water. Buy one of those tree bags and put it around the tree stand before putting the tree down too. This will make clean up so much easier.

Have a very Merry Christmas on behalf of all of us at Ferndale Realty!