With Thanksgiving behind us, families are looking towards the next major holiday, and the first task on many Christmas lists is finding the perfect tree.
"It's exciting to come the day after Thanksgiving," said Stephanie Renner, who visited Kaleidoscope Farms with her family to pick out their tree. "We come out here to look at all the trees, choose the perfect one. It's a big tradition, holidays are all about tradition."
As for that perfect tree, families often go into tree farms knowing exactly what they want.
"It's tall and it doesn't poke anybody," said Oliver Rial, 6. "It's an amazing tree."
And with a farm of around 24,000 trees, there is no shortage of options at Kaleidoscope Farms.
"We have nine different kinds that we sell," said owner Dave Reese. "Most all of them we grow except the ones we don't grow. Four kinds of fir, three kinds of spruce, and two kinds of pine."
Reese says that in recent years live trees have been regaining popularity. These days, he typically sells around 3,000 trees a season. And while some may think that you can find the perfect tree in a box as well, according to Reese the most environmentally friendly option is to get it at a farm.
"They're biodegradable and re-plantable," said Reese. "We can replenish the supply every year. Unlike artificial tree that's made of metal and plastic, it will break down in the landfill. As the trees grow, they put out oxygen and they fix carbon in the soil. When we're done with them we recycle and they're used for a lot of different purposes after they've been used as Christmas trees."
And, of course, Reese says you just can't beat that fresh pine scent.
