Real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases to create fresh
oxygen. One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirements
for 18 people. The 1 million acres of Christmas trees in the United States
translate into oxygen for 18 million people every day for every real Christmas
tree harvested, an average of three seedlings are planted in its place.
Real Christmas trees are a recyclable and renewable resource that have many
uses after the holidays. This is unlike a discarded artificial tree that may
not decompose for hundreds of years. Tree farms stabilize soil, protect water
supplies and provide refuge for wildlife. Many communities now offer Christmas
tree recycling programs
Tradition and History
This year over 35 million American families will celebrate the holidays
with the fragrance and beauty of a real Christmas tree.
The tree, used as a symbol of life, is a tradition older than Christianity
and not exclusive to any one religion. It's a part of our holiday customs
that engages not only our senses of sight, touch, and smell, but also our
sense of tradition, hope and good will.
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.
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.
Intangibles
Every tree at the Duration Farm is 100% made in the United States, using
100% American labor.
When you buy a tree at Duration Farm you are supporting a local business.
Real fresh cut Christmas trees maintain their fragrance longer than any
other type of tree.
Uses beyond the holidays
Place the Christmas tree in the garden and use it as a bird feeder. Orange
slices will attract the birds and they can site in the branches for shelter.
A Christmas tree is biodegradable, its branches may be removed and used
as mulch in the garden, the trunk can used for fuel or chopped for mulch.
Fir tree foliage can be stripped from the branches and snipped into small
pieces for stuffing into aromatic fir needle pillows, for sofa and bedroom.
Large quantities of used trees make effective sand and soil erosion barriers,
especially at beaches.
Sunk into fish ponds, trees make excellent refuge and feeding areas.
Woodworking hobbyists can make a multitude of items including buttons, gavels,
and candlesticks from the trunk of a used tree.
Cut trees work well in protecting azaleas and rhododendrons from winter
winds and snow.
