Finding the perfect Christmas tree can be a long journey: from picking a real or artificial one and decorating it with candy or seashells -- the road is different for everyone.
Even though the number of local Christmas tree farms is declining in Missouri, real Christmas trees are coming back into favor, said Hank Stelzer, forestry state specialist and natural resource education director at the University of Missouri.
"Folks have retired from growing trees," Stelzer explained, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic, the nostalgia and the ambiance that real Christmas trees provide are the likely reasons for their comeback.
In 2022, more than 14.5 million trees were cut from more than 16,600 farms across the United States, according to the 2022 Census from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Missouri, the number of Christmas trees cut topped 21,400, which is a decrease of almost 20 percent, compared to 2017.
Stelzer said everyone has their own perfect Christmas tree. To him, however, it is a Fraser fir that has lots of branches, is a little bit narrower and about 7 feet tall.
Even though Stelzer said he knows farmers who grow Fraser firs in Washington, Missouri, the tree species is not native to the state and grows primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. Fraser firs are "more finicky," Stelzer said, as they require sandier soil, and therefore, more work and effort.
Scotch, Virginia and Eastern White pine trees grow far and wide in Missouri. All are susceptible to droughts, and the first two experience challenges like fungal diseases and tip moths.
Getting a local tree, Stelzer said, has a lot of benefits, compared to getting a tree delivered from farther places, like North Carolina or Canada.
"Local trees are cut mid-November and are, therefore, fresher," he said.
For those getting a real Christmas tree, Stelzer recommends conducting the bent-needle test -- if the needles break instead of bending, they may have started drying out. Once the tree is bought, Stelzer said it's important to cut off the bottom inch of the tree and place it in a bowl of water.
"No Coke or Sprite or aspirin -- plain old water works," Stelzer said.
Working to develop hardier Fraser fir trees
Over at North Carolina State University, Justin Whitehill and his team of researchers are working to develop Fraser fir trees capable of withstanding climate change, pests and diseases.
Whitehill and his team have already sequenced the genome, or the complete set of DNA, of the Fraser fir trees and are using quantitative genetics combined with functional genomics approaches to improve Fraser firs in many areas.
One aspect the team is looking at is how the trees interact with diseases and pests that threaten them. One such disease is Phytophthora root rot. Whitehill said the researchers are looking into the genome of a Japanese fir tree, which is immune to this malady, to see if they can integrate this genetic resistance into Fraser firs.
Though Whitehill's research revolves around Fraser firs, the principles and tools will still be applicable to other related tree species.
"Genetically improved Christmas trees grow faster and are valued at a higher rate," Whitehill said.
In 2024, the North America Christmas tree market is estimated at $1.38 billion, according to Mordor Intelligence. Researchers at NCSU estimate that on average, growers will be able to earn an additional $86,000 per acre over seven years if they use genetically enhanced Fraser fir trees.
Aroma chemistry is another aspect on the researchers' radar. During winter months when food becomes extremely scarce in the southern Appalachians, hungry herds of deer will munch on Fraser fir buds, which are a source of nutrients and protein. This, Whitehill said, can set Christmas tree growers back by a couple of years.
The researchers want to explore how the natural aroma chemistry of the trees can repel deer but also appeal to humans.
Whitehill said he has been fascinated by the scent of a real Christmas tree since elementary school. Growing up in rural Ohio, he did not have a real Christmas tree every year.
"I remember the year that we got a real tree: My family, my parents and I talked about the aroma and really enjoyed that tree," Whitehill said.
To Whitehill, the perfect Christmas tree is a full, dense 6- to 8-foot Fraser fir that has a pleasant aroma profile, a nice branching pattern and no obvious cut-ends that are outward facing.
A new favorite emerges
Wayne Harmon, the owner of the Starr Pine Christmas tree farm in Boonville, has been in the business with his wife and daughter for 37 years.
To Harmon, choosing the perfect Christmas tree is difficult. This year, however, to him, it is the Pitch x Loblolly hybrid. The tree has a citrusy smell and long needles. While it is new to the industry, it has become Harmon's favorite along with the Canaan fir, which has short needles.
Harmon said having a Christmas tree farm requires a lot of thinking and planning in advance, as it usually takes between seven and nine years to grow a tree, and the time depends on external factors, like the weather.
His trees like to have regular rain and when the temperature does not get too hot. There are also insects and soil conditions that can slow down the process.
Despite the challenges, Harmon said he loves seeing smiles on people's faces and hearing their laughter on the farm.
"It really makes you feel good to see a family get together and pick out a tree, and you know that they're going to take it and put it in their house and that they'll all be around it at Christmas time," he said.
This year, Jessica Fisher, a stay-at-home mom, went to Starr Pine with her family to pick up a Christmas tree for the holidays. To Fisher, the perfect Christmas tree is one that everybody likes and gets to decorate and enjoy.
Fisher and her family moved to Gilliam, Missouri, from Colorado in 2022. Back in the Centennial state, the family used to go to the mountains to cut down their own Christmas tree, which is why this time, they decided to go to a tree farm.
Serendipity Festival of Trees
On Election Day, Elizabeth Jordheim, the owner of Serendipity Salon and Art Gallery, decorated two Christmas trees and is now using them to raise money for the Voluntary Action Center through the first Serendipity Festival of Trees.
"Election Day was so extremely stressful for the whole country, regardless of what you are doing, and I personally just needed to channel my energy into something positive, productive and that would help someone else," she said.
One of the trees features dozens of paper cranes, and the other one is embellished with seashells painted with glitter.
These two and more than 20 other Christmas trees of different sizes and colors are on sale at Serendipity through Dec. 23.
Jordheim said she chose to donate the proceeds to Voluntary Action Center because "it's a hugely important organization" and because it helps people throughout the year.
A fan of Christmas trees, Jordheim said she has six or seven artificial trees in her house. One of the trees has ornaments made of straw to honor her husband's Norwegian German heritage. Another one is full of miniature houses.
To Jordheim, the perfect Christmas tree is one with sentimental family ornaments.
31 years of love and Christmas trees
For the second year in a row, Sherry and Daryl Richardson of Boone County have donated a Christmas tree from their driveway to the Governor's Mansion lawn.
This year, the couple's gift is extra special. Richardson's tree is 31 years old, and it is the 31st tree to go onto the Governor's mansion lawn for the holidays. Moreover, the Richardsons will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary on Dec. 31.
Sherry Richardson said she and her husband planted several trees when they built their house, but only five trees down their driveaway survived. Richardson said they realized later they did not allow enough space for the trees.
The Norway spruce the Richardsons donated this year is 20 feet wide and more than 40 feet tall.
The Missouri Department of Conservation and Budrovich Central Missouri transported the tree from Richardson's house to Jefferson City, Missouri. Richardson drove there on Dec. 2 to look at her tree on the lawn.
"It's an awesome feeling -- just watching it, knowing that a tree that's not going to live forever is going to be viewed by thousands of people," Richardson said.
The Department of Conservation told her the tree will be shredded and used as mulch around other trees by the mansion after Christmas festivities, she said.
To Richardson, the perfect Christmas tree is the one that's sitting on the Governor's mansion lawn.
Positive impacts of Christmas tree shopping
Chad Pierskalla, professor of recreation, parks and tourism resources at West Virginia University, discovered that shopping for real Christmas trees can have a variety of positive effects on mental health. It can help people recover from mental fatigue, improve their focus and concentration, and lower their irritability.
"The benefits of buying a real Christmas tree go well beyond after the Christmas tree shopping experience ends," Pierskalla said.
Shopping for both real and artificial Christmas trees can evoke fascination, but the kind of the sentiment is different, Pierskalla and his team discovered. Shopping for artificial trees causes hard fascination, which grabs attention forcefully and is difficult to resist. Pierskalla said this kind of fascination is similar to the sensations people get from fast-moving environments, playing video games or going to a sporting event.
Shopping for real Christmas trees, on the other hand, leads to a softer, more gentle kind of fascination. It is similar to the fascination of looking at clouds, watching leaves fall or ripples dance in water.
"Soft fascination is one of the most important qualities of nature that contributes to the recovery from mental fatigue," Pierskalla said.
Having grown up on a dairy farm in Minnesota, some of the fondest memories Pierskalla has are of the smell of Christmas trees.
In 2022, survey respondents ranked the smell of real Christmas trees as their favorite Christmas scent, surpassing options like the smell of cookies and cinnamon, according to the Real Christmas Tree Board.
"Sorry grandma, the smell of the Christmas tree is, perhaps, the most popular smell of the season," Pierskalla said.
The smell of the Christmas tree, he said, was a peak restorative moment of the participants of the mental health survey.
Nearly 1 in 10 Americans experience stress during the holidays, and 41 percent report stress increases compared to other parts of the year, according to the American Psychological Association.
Pierskalla said this is why the research he and his team have conducted is timely. Even walking around displays of real Christmas trees can have positive mental health impacts. And while his research focused on recovery from fatigue, real Christmas trees have significantly more benefits, he said.
Unlike artificial trees which can contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins, real Christmas trees are renewable and recyclable, and for every real Christmas tree cut, at least one seedling is planted, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
This year, Pierskalla and his wife are getting a Fraser fir because it has soft needles and a great scent. To him, the perfect Christmas tree is simply "one that you like."
"The perfect Christmas tree could be even a Charlie Brown conifer tree," Pierskalla said. "It really doesn't matter as long as it brings happiness, and I think that's the point."
The work of the Missouri News Network is written by Missouri School of Journalism students and editors for publication by Missouri Press Association member newspapers.
Benjamin Zweig/Missourian Four-year-old Caleb Fisher pulls a Christmas tree stand from the attic on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at his home in Gilliam. The Fishers are currently retrofitting their 19th-century home with new windows, siding, and doors.
Benjamin Zweig/Missourian The Fisher family gathers in their living room after lunch on Thursday, Dec. 5, at their home in Gilliam. Jessica Fisher sees homesteading as a way to embrace a simpler life that strengthens her family and their connection to the land.
Benjamin Zweig/Missourian Jessica Fisher oversees a quadrilateral lesson with her son, Zaiden on Thursday, Dec. 5, at their home in Gilliam. Having been homeschooled herself, Jessica embraces the opportunity to tailor her children's education to match their individual learning styles and needs.
Claire Nguyen/Missourian An ornament featuring a woman's portrait hangs from a small, white artificial Christmas tree Dec. 4 at Serendipity Salon and Gallery in Columbia. Local artists and community members hand decorated all of the trees that are for sale.
Claire Nguyen/Missourian Serendipity Salon and Gallery owner Elizabeth Jordheim describes the artificial Christmas trees Dec. 4 at Serendipity Salon and Gallery in Columbia. "I like to have events here that bring community together in a focused effort for something," Jordheim said. "I also like to be able to support other causes in a way that is larger than what I am able to do on my own."
Claire Nguyen/Missourian Kira Lawler, assistant director of Serendipity Salon and Gallery, plugs in the lights for the artificial Christmas tree display Dec. 4 at Serendipity Salon and Gallery in Columbia. "This First Fridays is like a culmination of all this work that we've all been doing for the last couple of months," Lawler said.
Claire Nguyen/Missourian Tables in the gallery section sit filled with bright Christmas trees for sale Dec. 4 at Serendipity Salon and Gallery in Columbia. Some of the trees displayed were inspired by current events, such as November's presidential election.