Few symbols are more representative of this holiday than the Christmas tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, consumers purchased 28.2 million farm-grown trees in 2010, with real trees outselling fake ones by 3 to 1.

North Carolina ranks second in the country for total Christmas trees harvested, with more than 25,000 acres. The Christmas tree industry is smaller in South Carolina, with about 2,000 acres in trees.

During graduate school at Clemson University, my husband worked at a Christmas tree farm in the Upstate. He hand-shaped the trees several times a year to make sure they were ready for the holiday season. With a degree in forestry, he could explain the virtues of different species; tell you how Christmas trees are a renewable resource; and how to recycle your tree as mulch at the end of the holiday season. Fake trees made of polyvinyl chloride just don’t make the cut in our house.

One of our family’s first trees came from the lot where my husband worked; brought home by after a long day of helping others. His family had always had real trees and he assured me he would pick the perfect tree while I was at my job.

It’s been several years since we’ve actually cut down a tree, but every year we select a real one from a lot in Fort Mill, SC. And every year, my husband and daughter try to top the tree from the year before. One year, our Marine friend was visiting during our tree-selection ritual. We spent half a day at the lot as the Master Sergeant, the husband and the teen picked up and turned every tree in the 12-14 feet section.

Many of our friends have fake trees and one of their main arguments is that they are easy to clean up after. (I try not to attend holiday parties with my husband where I know fake trees will be present. It’s just easier.)

I’m not sure it would feel like Christmas at our house without the ping sound of the dried needles hitting packages on Christmas morning; the fact that we know we’ll be finding needles long after Valentine’s Day; and that we’ve lost several vacuums to tree clean-up. Those things just make the holiday at our home.

Find out where to cut or buy your live tree in North Carolina at www.ncchristmastrees.com or in South Carolina at www.scchristmastrees.org. Happy holidays!

By Susan Larkin (Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations)