Evergreen trees of holiday season

It is hard to imagine what the holiday season would be like without Christmas trees.

The use of evergreens as a symbol and celebration of life during winter solstice celebrations started in ancient Rome and Egypt. Over the centuries, evergreens became incorporated in the celebration of Christmas in the Germanic areas of Europe.

Evergreen trees figured prominently in plays done during Advent, or the four Sundays before Christmas. According to legend, Saint Boniface of Credition, an English missionary in 8th-century Germany, chopped down an oak tree under which human sacrifices had been made. When the oak fell, a young fir tree sprang up in its place. Overwhelmed by the symbolism, Saint Boniface suggested the fir tree as an emblem of faith.

The first recorded display of a decorated Christmas tree was in 1510, in Riga, Latvia, where evergreen trees were decorated with fruit, cookies and candy. Later these decorations were shared with family members as gifts after the holiday season was over.

Finding the right tree has changed over the years. For some, it is as simple as jumping in the family vehicle and making a short trip to the nearest lot for a quick selection. Others make it a more intense experience.

More adventurous types may visit a local tree farm and cut their own tree. The most daring get a permit from the Bureau of Land Management, the state or the U.S. Forest Service and cut their own in the mountains.

However you get your tree, it still has to be cared for correctly so it will last throughout the holiday season.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 25 million to 30 million American families will celebrate the holiday season with a fresh, farm-grown Christmas tree. The association offers these answers to commonly asked questions about Christmas trees:

Question: Is it OK to buy a tree that is losing its needles?

Answer: Some natural drop of older, interior needles is normal. However, if the color is faded, the bark of the outer twigs is wrinkled and the green, exterior needles easily fall off, it is excessively dry.

One test for freshness is to gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Very few needles should come off in your hand. Shake or bounce the tree on its stump. You should not see an excessive amount of green needles fall to the ground.

Question: Is a fresh cut really necessary before putting a tree in a water stand?

Answer: Always make a fresh cut if possible. After time, the cut stump gets a crusty sap seal that lessens a tree's ability to absorb water. A fresh cut will reopen the pores that take up water. Make a fresh cut a half-inch from the bottom. Many farm and lot operators will do this for you.