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By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
Selecting the proper Christ-
mas tree is not as easy as
most people think it is. To
help those who purchase live
trees for their Christmas cel-
ebration, Ernest Gay offers
these suggestions.
Know how high the ceiling
is in_your home so you can
select the right height tree.
Bounde the tree. If a lot of
needles fall off, the tree is not
fresh. Check the buds to be
sure they are fresh and bend
some of the needles. If the
needles don’t break, the tree
is fresh.
Gay and his family, of
Orange, have been in the
business of selling Christmas
trees for the past 25 years
and know what makes a fresh
tree.
Ernest Gay II is now in
charge of the family Christ-
mas tree farm and with the
help of his sons, Ernie and
Art, does the planting and
| harvesting of the trees.
Gay sells only blue spruce
trees which he says are
among the most popular in
this part of the country.
Recently, he has had people
looking for Douglas Fir and,
said he has planted some of
this variety but it will be at
least eight years before they
are big enough to cut.
“We have the same fami-
lies return year after year to
select a real tree,” said Gay.
“Those families buying a real
tree appear to run in cycles.
When they are young or have
young children, they come
for real trees. When their
children have left home we
don’t see them, then when
they have grandchildren, we
see the old familiar faces.”
Gay said most people want
a seven or eight-foot tree if
they live in the Back Moun-
tain area because many of
the homes have high ceilings.
People who come out from
the city, however, usually
want a tree about five or six
feet because they live in
apartments with only eight-
foot ceilings.
Gay does not wholesale
trees but allows buyers to
select a tree and, if they
desire, cut it themselves. He
also cuts some trees and has
them on hand for those who
do not want to climb up the
side hill of his farm to cut a
tree.
“Most people who come to
our place make a day of it,”
he said. “They usually come
week after Thanksgiving,
although he said a few people
have already been out to
select trees.
Gay’s Christmas Tree
Farm has 20 acres of trees
and each year the sales aver-
age in the hundreds. The
color and fragrance of the
blue spruce makes it popular
with most people, according
to Gay. It is also sturdier for
trimming than some of the
other varieties.
Gay said that Canada ships
a large volume of trees into
this country but most of them
are Canadian Balsam and
are usually cut in early fall,
making them more likely to
lose needles faster. At a
recent seminar Gay attended,
it was reported that artificial
trees were cutting into the
real tree market but Gay
said he doesn’t see much
difference in his sales.
‘‘We average about the
with the entire family and the
tree they select must please
everyone,’ said Gay.
same volume each year,” he
said. “Most people like to
choose and cut their own
tree. It’s important that they
have a fresh tree and usually
husband and wife take a long
time to decide on exactly the
right tree for their home.”
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
Gay usually starts cutting
trees on Thanksgiving week-
end since tree sales begin the
Here are some interesting
facts about fresh Christmas
trees from the Pennsylvania
Christmas Tree Growers Assn.
— The state of Pennsylvania
is known as the ‘Christmas
Tree State.”
— Average height of tree pur-
chased by families is 5’ to 7’.
— Most consumers select their
trees at the first ‘‘choose and
cut’ plantation or retail lot
visited and return to the same
supplier year after year.
— A developing trend is the
purchase of two or more trees
per family. In some cases, the
second tree is for a child’s room
or rec room. In others, a tree is
given to an elderly friend or
relative who may not have the
energy to go alone (ala ‘Grand-
parents Tree’).
— Most fresh tree buyers are
exceptionally zealous in their
/TOLDAYFATR.
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celebration of Christmas. They
exchange gifts, send cards,
hang stockings and enjoy festive
Christmas dinners and enter-
taining.
— This year, the Pennsylvania
State Museum, Harrisburg, is
exhibiting 30 Christmas trees
decorated in the traditions of
each ethnic group in the state.
— Mr. Eric Sundback, a
member of the Pennsylvania
Christmas Tree Growers Assn.,
will supply the official White
House Tree in 1988.
— Tree seedlings spend two to
five years in a nursery before
they’re planted in the field.
— Time consuming and spe-
Betty McDonald
OWNER
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IMPORTED CLOTHES — JEWELRY — ACCESSORIES
Phone: (717)825-2024
Mon. thru Sat., Thurs. till 8 p.m.
9 W. Northampton St.
(corner S. Franklin St.)
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cial measures, like shearing and
pruning, help achieve better
tree forms and shapes. This
process is completed during the
summer months.
— Typically, a 6 foot tree is 10
or 11 years old when it is cut for
sale.
— Trees grown on the West
Coast...and shipped east are
likely to experience their first
hard frost enroute, with prema-
ture needle drop when placed in
a Pennsylvania home. Canadian
trees, generally cut in October
before frost strikes, are not as
fresh as locally grown trees cut
on the spot or just before they
are placed on the lot for sale.
The Pennsylvania Christmas
Tree Growers Association is a
non-profit organization whose
members are devoted to the
production, promotion and mar-
keting of natural evergreen
trees. To contact a grower in
your area, to further develop
any of the above topics, or
simply acquire more informa-
tion about the industry, contact
the Association at (717) 292-5683.
\ Ay
With
A NEW HAIRSTYLE
FOR YOU
Singers will entertain
The New Community Sing-
ers, under the direction of
Shirley Mahle and accompan-
ied by Elaine St. Claire, are
sponsoring a series of Christ-
mas programs throughout the
Wyoming Valley.
The chorus will entertain at
the Festival of Trees at
Genetti’s on Sunday, Novem-
ber 30 and at the Holiday
Fair at the Luzerne County
Courthouse Sunday, Decem-
ber 7.
Featuiri
(717) 283-1630
Enjoy Christmas Shopping at
The Barn
The home of Heirloom Rag Rugs
. Hand-loomed and hand-stenciled products
hand-dipped candles ® wheat weaving
candle rings ¢ door chimes ¢ wreaths
HAND-KNIT SWEATERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
Cast iron bakeware and tea kettles
brass fireplace enclosures & tool sets
fireproof hearth rugs e gloves ¢ log carriers
HAND-MADE TEDDY BEARS by Gloria Franks
BEAUTIFUL HAND-THROWN POTTERY
(microwave safe)
Daily 9-5; Sat. 9-4; Sun. 12-4; Thurs. ’til 8
MARKET STREET, LEHMAN 675-4232
OPEN ET
HOUSE
THANKSGIVING SPEGIAL
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up 4 movies of your choice. You'll only pay the price for 3, and you
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BRING THE STARS HOME TONIGHT! **
Country Club Sh
y oe Shopping Canter
675-6500
Mon-Sat 10-9
Sunday 11-6
Movies must be returned by 4 PM on Friday, Nov. 28. VIP Card or
valid ID and security deposit may be required. Regulations may
vary. Cannot be combined with any other special offer.
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