GUESS WHO'S COMING?

Do you ever get the feeling that the commercial side of Christmas comes ‘way too early? Late October? Earlier? It isn’t until 1st December rolls around that makes us feel ready for the holiday season.

It’s tree time. Tell some of your friends that you’re going out to cut down a Christmas tree, and you’ll get a look that would fry eggs.

I’ve always had a real tree. As a kid we’d scamper out on the farm next to us in Woodbridge, find a good one, cut it down, with the farmer’s permission, and bring it home.

Let’s not argue the pros or cons of real VS the manufactured variety – even if you can buy an artificial one adorned with lights and ornaments. Storing it later like that? Hmm.

Rosanne and I visit the same lot every year where trees are brought in and leaned against a fence. Long needles or short, we buy whatever catches our fancy. Still…

Here’s what we found about the wide variety of Christmas trees:

­­-- The Scotch pine is probably the most common of them.

-- The Colorado blue spruce which, it seems, rarely sheds its needles.

-- The Fraser fir is hardy enough to be cut and shipped long distances.

-- The dark green balsam has the strongest aroma.

--The Fraser fir is said to be the longest lasting.

-- Most popular ornament topping the tree is probably the Bethlehem Star. Or the Star of David for the Jewish Hanakkah tree.

Author’s comment: Help a tree last longer by cutting a small portion off its base, giving it a fresh start. Add warm water mixed with sugar – some say it should be boiling - into the tree stand. Pour in more as time goes on.