Wishing you a GREEN Christmas!

You’re probably dreaming of a White Christmas – and we are too! But here are a few eco holiday tips from our New Hampshire Christmas tree growers to help you also make your holidays GREEN:

     * If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already taken the first step toward an environmentally friendly holiday by selecting a real, farm fresh Christmas tree. If you’d like to read about the benefits of a real tree (and the dangerous pitfalls of artificial trees), we encourage you to check out this link from the National Christmas Tree Association. 

     * Handmade ornaments are another green holiday tradition. Cut paper snowflakes from colorful recycled paper, use craft paint and festive ribbon to decorate pine cones, tie sweet-smelling sticks of cinnamon with holiday ribbon to make pretty ornaments, save old Christmas cards to cut into shapes for tree ornaments or gift tags, string popcorn and cranberries and dried apples into garlands…. The possibilities are endless!

     * If it’s time to replace your Christmas tree lights, look for LED strands. They use up to 90 percent less energy and last up to a decade!

     * After the holidays, check with your local transfer station or a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm to see if there are Christmas tree recycling programs in your area. Recycled Christmas trees are put to use in a variety of ways, from helping to rebuild coastline and restoring sand dunes to improving fishing areas in New England and providing wildlife habitat. Visit the National Christmas Tree Association website to learn more about how recycled Christmas trees help the environment.

     * Trees may also be chipped for mulch or composted. Evergreen trees should NOT be burned in the woodstove or fireplace, as they may contribute to creosote buildup and increase the risk of a chimney fire.

May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white… and green!

Decking the Halls

Our New Hampshire Christmas tree farms are not ALL about farm fresh trees… Christmas tree growers throughout the state also offer fresh, fragrant, handmade wreaths, along with kissing balls, garland, one-of-a-kind gifts from local artisans, and whimsical holiday ornaments.

In short, you can find just about everything you need to make the holidays merry and bright at a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm!

Wreaths are typically made on site, using greens leftover from the process of growing and harvesting Christmas trees. These traditional holiday accessories range from simply plain to creative and festive decorations ranging from elaborate bows to natural adornments like pine cones and berries.

So, whether you’re shopping for your tree at a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm this season, or on one of our farms’ online shops, we invite you to think beyond the tree – and discover what else your favorite tree farm has to offer.

Happy Decorating!

Choosing the perfect farm fresh Christmas tree

A farm fresh Christmas tree, grown with care and expertise at a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm is the perfect start to your holiday decorating. With Christmas tree season now upon us, we offer the following tips for choosing YOUR perfect tree:

* First, make sure you know how tall and how wide you want your Christmas tree to be before you visit your favorite New Hampshire Christmas tree farm. It’s often hard to picture the room you’ll place your Christmas tree when you’re in a field surrounded by beautiful firs.

* Once you’re at the farm – either in the field or at the retail lot – make sure you measure your selected tree to ensure it is the size you want! (This may sound simple, but many a tree trimmer has had to lop off a chunk of tree top to make a Christmas tree fit in the living room!)

* New Hampshire Christmas tree farmers grow a variety of tree types, from the most common Balsam and Fraser firs to the more unusual Korean and Canaan firs and other species. Different types of trees have different qualities, so check with the staff at the Christmas tree farm, or visit the National Christmas Tree Association website http://www.christmastree.org/types.cfm before you go, to find out which tree type is best for you.

* Let the whole family join in the fun of choosing the perfect tree! Many New Hampshire Christmas tree farms offer refreshments, gift shops, and other activities on the farm, so you can create a day of family fun around bringing your tree home.

You can find more ideas from New Hampshire Christmas tree growers at our website, where we have more tree selection tips and a tree care page with tips for keeping your Christmas tree fresh through the season.

Happy Holidays!

Trees for Troops – Delivering holiday cheer, one Christmas tree at a time

This holiday season, Trees for Troops hopes to deliver its 100,000^th farm fresh Christmas tree to a military family. Founded in 2005 as a program of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, Trees for Troops collaborates with Christmas tree growers throughout the United States to provide real Christmas trees to United States military personnel stationed in the U.S. and abroad.

Many of our New Hampshire Christmas tree growers donate farm fresh trees to Trees for Troops and accept donations to the program from customers. Some 700 tree farms throughout the country allow Trees for Troops to deliver about 17,000 Christmas trees to U.S. troops each year. Last year, Trees for Troops delivered 17,224 trees to 59 military bases, including seven bases overseas.

For Christmas tree farms and their customers, Trees for Troops offers a way to spread a little holiday cheer – one Christmas tree at a time – and to thank the men and women in our country’s armed services, who often spend the holidays away from home and family.

You can help by visiting a participating farm – many of them have special events or sales dedicated to Trees for Troops. To learn more about the program please visit the Trees for Troops website. 

Happy holidays to all of you – wherever you may be.