The "Holiday" Tree?

As we get closer to Christmas Tree season, I’m reminded of a topic that became – in my opinion – over-hyped last year. Namely, is it inappropriate to use the term Christmas Tree?

We received many inquiries from journalists on this topic. Did we have a stance? I usually responded the same as the association spokespersons with something along the lines of “ultimately, as long as people buy a farm-grown real tree and not a fake, plastic tree, we don’t care what people call it.” It was usually followed with “However, this association will never change it’s name to the National Holiday Tree Association.” This was usually met with chuckles.
So, curious, we added a question to the consumer poll we commission each year. In January, 2006, a weighted random sample of the U.S. general adult population were asked, “In your own opinion, which name do you think is more appropriate to use?” 97% replied “Christmas Tree” while only 3% replied “Holiday Tree.”

Hmmmm....yep, seems like an over-hyped non-issue to me.

People often ask us if we can help them find a “home for the holidays” for a large evergreen tree in their yard.

From: Pamela
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006
Subject: Save our Tree

We have a northern white pine that is approximately 25 feet tall. We are afraid that this may be the last year to save it due to it growing into the power lines. Can you help find someone who would take it as a Christmas tree? We would ask that they remove it with minimal damage. I have attached a picture.

Answer: Sorry, there's nothing really we can do to help in that situation. Your best bet may be to contact local businesses in your area that typically put up a large Christmas Tree each year (malls, office buildings, churches) and ask them if they would want to use it. Or, perhaps call a tree farm and see if they have a request for such a large tree.

Harvesting will begin in a few weeks. If any visitors have questions about the harvesting process, write an email and we’ll post some interesting ones.