Christmas trees

Bringing an evergreen indoors to celebrate the winter season is a tradition that stretches back centuries. The custom of decorating Christmas trees is generally traced to Germany, where evergreen boughs symbolized life and hope during the darkest days of the year. From there, the practice spread across Europe and eventually to North America, where choosing the family tree has become a cherished holiday ritual in its own right.

Today's Christmas trees are grown much like any other crop, carefully tended for years before they are ready to grace a living room. Popular varieties such as Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Noble fir, Scotch pine, and blue spruce each have their own character, offering different fragrances, needle retention, branch strength, and color. A freshly cut tree fills the home with the unmistakable scent of evergreen and provides the perfect backdrop for ornaments collected over a lifetime.

Buying a locally grown Christmas tree supports nearby farmers and often means a fresher tree that has traveled only a short distance before reaching your home. Many farms also offer the chance to choose and cut your own tree, turning an annual purchase into a memorable family outing. LocalHarvest makes it easy to find Christmas tree farms nearby, where holiday traditions begin at the source.