A Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions that is associated with the celebration of Christmas. If it is a natural tree then it will be an evergreen coniferous tree. At Christmas time people buy a Christmas tree and once they've got it home they put it up in their houses, then it is decorated with Christmas lights and other colourful ornaments.
Originally, Christmas trees would not have been brought into the home and decorated until Christmas Eve, and they would be removed on January 6 which is the day after the 12th night. If you had a tree up before or after these dates it was considered bad luck, but as Christmas has now become so commercialised, people put up their Christmas tree much earlier. In Europe, Christmas trees are not put up until at least the middle of December. In American homes it seems to be a tradition to put the Christmas tree up right after Thanksgiving. In shops Christmas trees seem to go up as early as late October.
Both natural and artificial trees are used as Christmas trees. The best natural tree to use as a Christmas tree is a species of fir (Abies), and the major benefit of this is that unlike some evergreens they do not shed their needles when they dry out. They also have good foliage color and scent. There are many other species that are used, but they are less traditional.
Some trees are sold live with their roots and soil. These you would get from a nursery and you would later plant them outdoors to enjoy in future years, however, the root loss from digging, and the high temperatures and low humidity of the indoors is very detrimental to the health of the Christmas tree. Often trees in this situation don't survive, so if you get a tree like this then it is recommended you only keep the tree inside for a few days. This is because the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving very little protection when it is put back outside in the midwinter cold.
In Europe, people traditionally prefer naturally grown, unsheared trees, while in North America there is a preference for close-sheared trees with much denser foliage. The denser foliage leaves less space for hanging decorations. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now they seem to be commercially grown on Christmas tree farms. In the United States almost all Christmas trees are grown on Christmas tree farms, and are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees are planted to replace them.
Artificial Christmas trees are now considered more convenient and if they are used year after year, they are less expensive than a natural Christmas tree. They come in different colors and species, and artificial trees may also come pre-decorated with lights. Then at the end of the Christmas season these trees can be taken down and stored away. Sometimes, artificial Christmas trees are used in homes rather than natural trees because of the potential fire risk from a dried out real tree, or because some people have an allergy to certain trees.
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