The selection and purchase of a Christmas tree is an annual tradition for most families. Today, selecting the perfect tree is one of the highlights of many families' pre-holiday preparations. There are many types of trees used as Christmas trees, some of the different types are, the Douglas fir, Scotch Pine, Blue Spruce, The North Carolina Fraser Fir to The Noble Fir.

The selection of your tree will depend on a number of factors such as your budget and the size of the space you will be hosting your tree in. For a house a tree of about 6 feet is ideal, for a small size apartment or office a tree of about 4 feet is adequate. How you decorate your Christmas tree is a matter of budget and personal taste. However; the purchase of your Douglas Fir or Scotch Pine or Blue Spruce kicks off your yuletide festivities in earnest. For many people, decorating the Christmas tree is a favorite part of the holiday season. In fact, the Christmas tree is one of the most recognizable images of the season.

The person more commonly credited with bedecking the first Christmas tree is Martin Luther (1483-1546). The tradition to decorate the Christmas tree is about 500 years old. A Christmas tree is considered mature and ready for harvest when it reaches 6 to 7 feet, the most popular height desired by consumers. The more visible and less expensive cut Christmas tree is the Douglas fir. The most popular Christmas tree is Scotch pine. When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water this should signal the necessity of getting your tree home quickly and erecting it in a suitable stand. To prevent a fire hazard later fill the stand with water even if you are not ready to decorate the tree. Remember that you will most likely be putting color lights on your tree which is a source of heat and can ignite a fire with the dried needles.

Decorating the tree (trimming the tree) is as individual as each family, further each member of the family will have their ideas of what should go to make up the look of the final trimmings. Some people like the traditional star at the top of the tree others like other things at the top just for variety. Again the body of the tree can be festooned with anything from handmade ornaments to high priced Christmas items bought in the store. Remember this is a time of celebration, joy and togetherness of friends and family. Compromise is one of the keys to keeping the mood light, festive and in the spirit of goodwill to all.

What ever you buy some time needs to be spent learning which species you prefer, The Douglas Fir, The Scotch Pine, The Blue Spruce or another kind. Obviously your final choice will be determined by your budget and the size of your hosting space. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Yuletide spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. Like many other Christmas traditions, the universally-popular Christmas tree is derived from a fusion of Christian ideas with the older pagan traditions. Whatever its origin the Christmas tree has added much joy and pleasure to the festive tradition over the years.