Tree-trimming tips from New Hampshire

The first Christmas trees were decorated in 16^th-Centrury northern Europe with fruits, candles and paper flowers. In the 500 years since, people have been coming up with new and creative ideas for trimming the tree. There are formal Christmas trees of delicate silver and gold ornaments, bright trees bursting with colorful baubles, and homey trees trimmed with homemade decorations and treasured family ornaments.

The most important part of decorating a Christmas tree is letting your own personality and holiday traditions shine through. In a tree-trimming rut? Well, here are some ideas from New Hampshire Christmas tree growers to help spice things up a bit:

* String a wide ribbon with festive colors through your tree’s branches as a garland.

* If you normally use small, white tree lights, switch things up with colored bulbs. Christmas lights are even available in efficient LED varieties now, so check out your options and see what you like.

* Pick a theme that suits your family’s style or that is reminiscent of the year just past. Love the beach? Trim your tree with shells and seashore colors. Excited for winter? Make paper snowflakes to adorn the tree. Nature lover? Figurines of birds and other animals make great tree decorations!

* Get creative and craft some new ornaments. Tissue paper flowers held by pipe cleaners are easy to make and add a pop of color to the tree.

* Bring a bit of nature inside by hanging pinecones or dried flowers on your tree.

* Spice it up with sticks of cinnamon wrapped with ribbon. Or hang candy canes from the boughs.

Of course, if you’re a traditionalist, you may cherish pulling out those old ornaments collected over a lifetime each holiday season. Some families purchase a new ornament each year to add to the collection, and we'd bet your family has some tree-trimming tradition that is followed year after year: popcorn and cranberries or silver tinsel or the special star for the top of the tree.

Whether you plan to follow tradition or break in a new idea this year, be sure to start with a beautiful, fragrant, farm fresh Christmas tree! Looking for a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm? Check out our interactive map. 

Happy holidays and merry tree trimming!

Welcoming the holidays at New Hampshire Christmas tree farms

It’s that time of year again… There’s a crispness to the breeze, a frost of white on the mountain peaks, and a magical twinkle in the air. Must be Christmastime!

At Christmas tree farms throughout New Hampshire, we look forward to this season all year long. Our farmers are busy through the hot summer months planting and pruning and shearing by hand many thousands of trees. So we love to see that work pay off with the coming of the Christmas season, when families arrive at our farms to find their perfect trees, browse gift shops, select hand-made wreaths, and enjoy the myriad other festivities of the holidays on the farm.

Each of our tree farms has distinct offerings, from choose-and-cut Christmas trees and horse-drawn wagon rides to Christmas carols and visits from Santa Claus. To find a farm to visit and learn more about what each one offers, explore our interactive map of New Hampshire Christmas tree farms. 

And before you head out to find your perfect tree for trimming, check out these Christmas tree selection tips from the pros: our farmers. You’ll also find suggestions for keeping your farm fresh Christmas tree, well, fresh, through the season at our website. For ideas on celebrating a green Christmas, check out this Blog post from a Christmas past.

We hope to see you this Christmas tree season at a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm!