Sure, the deciduous trees of Vermont have their time in the spotlight every foliage season - but let's not forget the evergreens. Christmas Tree farms are an important part of Vermont's agricultural landscape. We provide Christmas trees throughout the New England region, to New York City, and beyond. The 2012-2013 winter issue of Vermont Life magazine profiled a VT Christmas tree's journey to sales in New York City, where some tree farmers have regular spots that will be in the family for generations. In 2009 the Vermont Agency of Agriculture reported "Vermont boasts about 250 tree farms statewide, with thousands of acres in active production. Yearly sales total some $10-million dollars, giving a seasonal boost to Vermont's agricultural economy."
For many families, cutting their own tree at a Vermont farm is a favorite holiday tradition.
Vermont has two associations of Christmas tree growers, the Vermont Christmas Tree Association and the NH-VT Christmas Tree Association. Sites for both groups provide information on finding the right Christmas tree for your house or apartment. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture offers an annually updated guide to finding Christmas Trees and Wreaths by county.
Finding the right tree might take some patience. Putting it up at home might take even more patience. Here's our tree from a local farm, photoshopped to appear as if we stood it up straight in the living room instead of getting it up close enough then rushing to make hot chocolate. Appearances are only one consideration anyway - it makes the whole house smell great:
Of course, if you're going to go find a Christmas tree, we recommend making a full expedition out of it. The Trails section of DigInVT gives some suggestions by region, or you could simply use our Places section to look up a good place to stop for warm snacks or cookies after acquiring the tree.
Then there's the ornaments. We already posted last week about a Danforth Pewter ornaments display in Burlington to get in the decorative mode - you can also check out holiday gift markets in your area. There are a few places to look for these markets, the Events page at DigInVT, the farmers' markets listings from NOFA-VT (look at the winter market schedule for special holiday markets), or the shopping travel planner from Vermont Department of Tourism. You can also read about individaul crafts people from the Vermont Crafts Council, many of whom make special items for the holiday season.
Happy holiday exploring.
Helen Labun Jordan writes about food and the business for food for local and regional publications, and online at www.discoveringflavor.com
