European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Nothing spruces up holidays like boughs of Green plastic. A. Not <4 pair of shoppers Check out a plastic Christmas tree with All the Kevin Cowherd the Baltimore Sun Hen it comes to the endless debate Over real is. Artificial Christmas Trees my position has always been consistent. To me nothing says Happy holidays like a 5foot chunk of Green plastic decorated with garlands of White polyurethane cheap tinsel and huge Garish red balls then smothered with that White powder that s supposed to look like Snow. Now switch on the fake log in the fireplace and the electric Wreath with its 28-bulb arrangement that forms the outline of Elvis head and Well All i can say is if that does t get you in the Christmas spirit you Don t have a pulse. Maybe the Best thing about an artificial Christmas tree is that it leaves your Home free of that sickeningly clean smell of Pine. Look if i want that Pine smell around the House i la hang a few car air fresheners of until then give me that vague Musty odor of flame retardant plastic and synthetic ornamentation any Day. Of course when you mention this to the real tree fanatics they look at you like you just spit in their salad. To these people nothing beats a fresh scotch Pine or Douglas fir especially if Here s the part i realty Don t get they be spent half the Day tramping through the Frozen Woods to find it. Look that business about chopping Down your own tree a yeah i did that a couple of times. The first time we wandered around in a foot of Snow for two hours during which i lost All sensation in my toes and face. There was no Snow the following year but after we finally found a suitable tree my Dopey brother it Law contributed nicely to the danger level by firing up his Homelike a Little too Early and nearly severing three of my fingers. Now when the holidays approach i get All the tree related excitement anyone could stand by climbing to the attic banging my head against the naked Light bulb dangling there and dragging out the moldy cardboard boxes marked Quot Xmas tree a a unfortunately our artificial tree gave out this year and we were forced to put up a real tree. But instead of slogging insanely around in the wilderness we got our tree the Way cod intended by jumping in the car and driving to the Quot every tree $17.99&Quot sign at the Safeway parking lot. When we arrived a Small nervous looking Man in a Parka and orioles Cap hurried up and introduced himself As Roy Roy declined to give his last name Quot look if you re with the cops i got a permit of Quot but after it became. Clear that we weren t going to produce a badge and throw him against the Hood of the car he calmed Down and allowed As How these were the finest Christmas Trees he had Ever sold in his 18 years in the business. Well that clinched it. There was no sense looking anywhere else not when a straight shooter like Roy Flat out tells you these Are the Best Trees around. So we excused ourselves and wandered around leaving Roy to answer a barrage of stupid questions from customers Quot every tree $17.99 a does that mean every single tree it was at this Point that my wife and i asked ourselves How can we make the next few minutes As hellish As possible in an instant it came to us we would let the kids pick out the tree. Asking the three of them to agree on anything was virtually impossible and would guarantee just the right level of creative tension you need in a situation like this. Sure enough it took nearly.45 minutes of nonstop bickering before they selected a Blue Spruce that was not too ratty looking. Then we lashed the tree to the top of the car and exchanged a final Farewell with Roy Quot you re telling me the truth right you re not a cop Quot anyway the whole experience was lots of fun i guess. But next year we re going Back to our traditional method of getting a tree. Well go to Sears pick out a sturdy specimen and trim it by inserting pole a inti Slot b and jamming the color coded branches red White Etc into corresponding holes in trunk. After All some traditions you just Don t fool with. Closer Looka tree in a pot is one for All seasons by Rick plut United press International poinsettias Aren t the Only members of the Plant kingdom finding their ways into a Little indoor Earth during the Winter holidays. Some people opt to pot a living Christmas tree instead of erecting a Cut or artificial Evergreen. Their numbers Are still relatively Small like their tree but for people who Don t mind a Little digging they know the presence of their Holiday Evergreen Wilt be As regular As a visit from Santa. Living Trees remain a part of the landscape for most of the year and Are dug up with their Root balls in december to become the Centrepiece of family Holiday celebrations. A it is becoming More popular a said Joan Geiger executive director of the National Christmas association in Milwaukee. Quot we estimate about 5 to 7 percent sold Are sold As living Quot i think people Are More environmentally aware a she said Quot and some people just done to want to have a Cut tree in their there Are drawbacks to using a potted living tree indoors. People in cold climates generally cannot transplant in december because the ground is too hard to dig. And it s not a Good idea to leave the Trees in pots year round said Geiger but Quot it can be the Trees also do not like hot lights attached to branches cannot handle As Many ornaments As Cut or artificial Trees and can remain indoors for no longer than a week. Quot a Home is not its natural environment and if a tree stays inside too Long it will Start to think that is its environment and it won t do Well once you Plant it outside after the holidays a Geiger said. And living Trees tend to be rather Small no More than about 4 feet tall. Quot if you have a High ceiling and want a nine foot tree you can t do that with a potted tree a says Geiger. Quot a nine foot living tree with a Root Ball attached would weigh a most people slightly More than half choose the convenience of an artificial tree. But Geiger said Christmas tree growers Are hoping to see those numbers turn around As More Young couples have children and Dedde to turn selecting a tree into a family event. Natural tree sales dipped slightly during last years Holiday season but growers Are projecting sales will rebound this year to about 35.4 million evergreens. Any merchant would empathize with tree Sellers wishes for a prosperous season. For obvious reasons tree Sellers Are More dependent on Holiday season sales than most other businesses Quot retail lot operators Are optimistic for this year Quot Geiger said. Quot this year it appears that people Are being a Little bit More positive about the Economy and Are willing to spend More and buy More at christmastime wednesday december 22, 1993 the stars and stripes 15
