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from:
National
Christmas Tree Association
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Facts from the National
Christmas Tree Association
- Real Christmas trees are an all-American
product, grown in all 50 states, including
Alaska and Hawaii. Most artificial
trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan,
or Hong Kong.
- Real trees are a renewable, recyclable
resource. Artificial trees contain
non-biodegradable plastics and metals.
- For every real Christmas tree harvested,
2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its
place.
- There are about 1 million acres in
production for growing Christmas trees.
Each acre provides the daily oxygen
requirements of 18 people.
- There are about 15,000 Christmas tree
growers in the U.S., and over 100,000
people employed full orpart time in
the industry.
- There are approximately 5,000 choose
and cut farms in the U.S.
- It can take as many as 15 years to
grow a tree of average retail saleheight
(6 feet), but the average growing
time in 7 years.
- The top Christmas tree producing states
are Oregon, Michigan,Wisconsin, Pennsylvania,
California, and North Carolina.
- The top selling Christmas trees are:
balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir,
noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine,
and white pine.
- The enduring tree symbol, which is
even older than Christianity and not
exclusive to any one religion, remains
a firmly established part of our holiday
customs. A beautiful live Christmas
tree engages our senses of sight,
touch, and smell, and evokes feelings
of joy in both young and old.
For more information on natural Christmas
trees, including the proper way to
care for containerized living trees
while having them in your home as
a Christmas tree, check out the National
Christmas Tree Association web
site.
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Long before
there was a Christmas, Egyptians brought green palm
branches into their homes on the shortest day of the
year in December as a symbol of life's triumph over
death. Romans adorned their homes with evergreens
during Saturnalia, a winter festival in honor of Saturnus,
their god of agriculture. Druid priests decorated
oak trees with golden apples for their winter solstice
festivities. In the middle ages, the Paradise tree,
an evergreen hung with red apples, was the symbol
of the feast of Adam and Eve held on December 24th.
The first recorded reference to the
Christmas tree dates back to the 16th century. In
Strasbourg, Germany (now part of France), families
both rich and poor decorated fir trees with colored
paper, fruits, and sweets. The retail Christmas tree
lot also dates back that far - in those times, older
women would sell trees harvested from nearby forests.
The tradition spread through Europe
and was brought to the United States by German settlers
and by Hessian
mercenaries paid to fight in the Revolutionary War.
In 1804 U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Dearborn (now
Chicago) hauled trees from surrounding woods to their
barracks at Christmas.
The popularity of the Christmas tree then proliferated.
Charles Minnegrode introduced the custom of decorating
trees in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1842. In 1851,
Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds loaded with trees from
the Catskills to the streets of New York and opened
the first retail lot in the United States. Scattered
records from family diaries, journals, and letters
indicate that early-day decorations included homemade
cookies and "sugars", corn husk dolls, and
various food ornaments such as pomander balls (apples
or oranges studded with whole cloves and dusted with
cinnamon).
Franklin Pierce, our 14th President,
brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White
House. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started
the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now
held every year on the White House lawn.
Since 1966, members of the National
Christmas Tree Association have presented a beautiful,
fresh Christmas tree to the President and first family.
This tree is displayed each year in the Blue Room
of the White House.
Today, about 33 million American
families use a live Christmas tree as part of their
annual holiday celebrations.
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