Keeping your Christmas tree farm fresh

Once you’ve selected your farm fresh Christmas tree from a New Hampshire or Vermont Christmas tree farm, there are a few things you can do to keep it fresh and fragrant through the holidays. When a Christmas tree is cut, more than half its weight is water, so much of keeping your tree happy involves making sure it’s able to take in the water it needs. Here are some tips from for keeping your Christmas tree farm fresh!

    * Before you set your tree up, cut the bottom ½-inch from the trunk. Then place your Christmas tree in water.

    * Make sure your tree stand is the right size for your tree – and that the reservoir holds plenty of water. Christmas tree stands should provide a quart of water per inch of stem diameter.

    * Check the water level regularly to ensure the base of the tree is submerged.

    * Keep your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces and radiators to prevent excessive drying.

    * Use Christmas tree lights that produce only low heat to prevent drying. Lights should be inspected prior to use and replaced if they are worn. And they should always be turned off when you’re leaving the house or going to bed!

    * When you’re ready to bid adieu to your Christmas tree after the holidays, check with your local transfer station on recycling options. Christmas trees should never be burned in a wood stove or fireplace, as they create creosote and can lead to a chimney fire.

For more tips on keeping your tree farm fresh, check out the National Christmas Tree Association’s tree care page. 

From our farms to your home, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Order your Christmas tree by December 10th!

The holidays can be hectic, but our New Hampshire and Vermont Christmas tree growers can help simplify the season. It takes only a few minutes, from the comfort and convenience of your home or office, to order a farm fresh Christmas tree, which will arrive fragrant, beautiful, and full of holiday spirit in your home.

To ensure delivery in time for trimming, however, please place your order by December 10^th if you live outside the New England region! Those within New England should order by December 15^th to ensure pre-Christmas delivery!

Mail order Christmas trees are cut fresh and pack in wax-lined cartons to keep them fresh and fragrant en route to your holiday home. To select a New Hampshire or Vermont Christmas tree farm offering mail order trees (and wreaths, ornaments, decorations and more!), please visit our mail order page. 

For all you last minute shoppers… If you do miss the ordering deadline – well, what a terrific excuse to visit one of our picturesque Christmas tree farms! Many farms remain open right through Christmas Eve. To find a New Hampshire or Vermont Christmas tree farm near your favorite place and learn more about what our Christmas tree growers offer, check out our farms map. 

Merry Christmas!

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

Christmas 2011 marks the seventh year the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation has delivered farm fresh Christmas trees at home and abroad to active duty U.S. military personnel and their families through the Trees for Troops program.

Christmas tree growers throughout the country, including those in New Hampshire and Vermont, donate trees and garner customer support for Trees for Troops, allowing the program to deliver some 17,000 Christmas trees each year. New Hampshire and Vermont Christmas tree growers donate 425 Christmas trees to the program each year.

For Christmas tree farms and their customers, it’s 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.

Last year, Trees for Troops delivered 17,224 trees to 59 military bases, including seven bases overseas… In 2011, Trees for Troops expects to deliver its 100,000^th tree!

You can help by visiting a participating farm – many of them have special events or sales dedicated to Trees for Troops.

Merry Christmas to all, whether you’re home for the holidays or far away.