It’s the festive decorator’s favorite time of year: Christmas. Between lights, ribbons and mistletoe, there’s a lot to dive into, but the m
ost exciting part of readying the home for the holidays arguably falls on the centerpiece—the tree.
Traveling from states like Oregon and North Carolina, these trees have been groomed for years before making it into your home. How exactly do they make it from farm to store? At Yule Tree Farms—located high in the mountains near Portland —helicopters airlift bundles of trees across the 2,500-acre plot of land. Then, a machine shakes all the dead needles loose and, finally, trees are tied up with rope and loaded onto trucks—ready to be taken to
their store destination.
Trees are delivered to stores in mid-November and sell through the holiday. Raymond Belgrove, associate and garden specialist at Home Depot store #6957 in New York says stocking the stores is a constant process. At Raymond’s store, they receive large tree shipments 2-3 times a week. “Even on December 24th, there will be a long line of people coming to the store to grab a last-minute tree,” says Raymond. Wreaths, garland and poinsettias are very popular too. “They have to be delivered on a daily basis to keep up with the high demand.” Last year, The Home Depot, as a whole, sold 1.5 million wreath and garland pieces.
Raymond’s favorite tree—and one of the most popular varieties—is
the Fraser. “I always recommend Fraser trees. They have the strongest smell and shed the least.” When asked his number one tree tip, Raymond’s immediate response is liquid fertilizer. “It’s important to add the fertilizer to the water in the stand. It only needs to be used one time, and it keeps the tree looking it’s best and lasting the longest.”
In his five years working with the trees, Raymond’s favorite part continues to be interacting with the parents and children. “I love talking to the families and doing my best to help them find the perfect tree for their home.”
Want to know more about Christmas trees? Check out our fact guide below.
