One of the best things about the month of December is not the beginning of the winter season or furrylittlegnome’s birthday but the smell of Christmas trees! Originating in Germany in the sixteenth century, the tradition of a Christmas tree has evolved over time. Early Christmas trees were lit with candles. The ornaments were not made of glass or plastic but were actually apples and nuts. The most common Christmas trees are Balsam Firs and Fraser Firs – the latter found in the Eastern United States.
In America, the most photographed “Tannenbaum” – German for “Fir Tree”, is located in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. 
While reading the news online this morning, furrylittlegnome learned some interesting facts. While 88% of Americans will have a Christmas tree in their homes this season, 83% of these Christmas trees will be artificial or “fake”!
The tree below made its way home yesterday. From a tree farm in Colchester, Vermont, this Fraser Fir cost $35 and is seven feet tall. It will be decorated later today and stay that way until Epiphany.
In Brookline, Massachusetts, this Christmas tree came from a tree lot in town. Priced at $45, this six feet tall Balsam Fir is also from Vermont!
In Dracut, Massachusetts, we find this decorated Fraser Fir that stands at seven feet! The price for buying this Christmas tree at a local garden center? Twenty-two dollars! A steal!
As is custom in furrylittlegnome’s family household, the artificial Christmas tree, that is seven feet tall, is erected Thanksgiving afternoon. This year, gnome’s four year-old niece took charge and with the aid of her grandfather’s height, she decorated the entire tree herself! We can blame gnome’s brother for the artificial tree due to an allergy at an early age…
furrylittlegnome 
We are lucky to celebrate several festivals of light with our family. Best to you and yours.
Happy Holly Daze!
Same to you.
It seems like this season is flying by!
My little brother used to end up in the hospital every Christmas with pneumonia. Turns out he was allergic to the resin in pine sap. That’s when we started getting artificial trees.
But when I lived in NH with my husband, part of the fun of Christmas was going out to cut down our own tree every year. I like both kinds of Tannenbaum; and yours is pretty, too.
Same sort of thing with my brother…
I do miss the smell of a real tree, but there are so many things out there now to get that scent!
Wow–until just now, I have never, ever met anyone else who entirely believed that tree-allergy thing of my brother’s. Which almost made me feel like my mom was making it up only to be mean. (and yes, I have found substitute scents; but none of them are quite the same as the real thing, are they?)
Hi, thanks for this fine post. I lived partly in Germany when I was a child and it was unthinkable of having not real candles and apples in the Christmas tree. I know from my friends in Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands that if you want to celebrate Christmas in style you have to have real candles. I will celebrate with a tree with real candles and many apples and like the Anthroposophists I will bind red and white ribbons in the tree too.
Have a cozy pre-Christmas time.
Greetings from North Norfolk
Klausbernd 🙂 and his busy Bookfayries Siri and Selma
In America, we’re taught at an early age that it is a huge fire hazard 😢 (hence the strings of lights). Furrylittlegnome can only imagine how magnificent a Christmas tree really looks decorated to the nines! Do you have snow yet?
Dear furrylitlegnome,
no, that`s a pity, we have an extreme maritime climate meaning very mild in winter time. We very rarely have frost and nearly no snow. Now the sun is shining, we have it quite warm – 10 degrees C – and a light wind from the sea (NW).
Have a happy day
Klausbernd
Pingback: Focus on outward appearances | Stepping Toes
Beautiful trees! Merry Christmas to you and your family. 🙂
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you, too!