The day after Thanksgiving not only means shopping.

Friday, November 24, 2000

The day after Thanksgiving not only means shopping.

It also means it’s time to put up the Christmas decorations, if you haven’t already.

For many, that task involves driving around looking for the perfect tree.

"The day after thanksgiving starts our busy time," said Donna Dickess of Dickess’ Christmas Tree Farm.

The farm, which sells trees of all sizes, will see customers right up through Christmas Eve.

You need not wait until just before Christmas for a live tree, said Carl Dickess, farm owner.

With proper care, a tree can last from Thanksgiving right through the new year.

When looking for a tree, Dickess said folks shouldn’t look too hard.

"When you find a tree that suits you, it’s time to quit. If you look at every tree on the lot, it would confuse you."

Dickess said the best trees are ones that hold their needles longer, like Scotch pines, white pines, Colorado spruce and Fraser firs.

Once you take the tree home, cut a little bit off the trunk and drill a few quarter-inch holes in the bottom of it. Place it in a stand that can hold six to eight quarts of water and water it every day, he said.

"If you let the tree go dry, it will seal itself off and stop taking water. It goes brown pretty quickly after that," Dickess said.

Local discount stores sell preservatives that can be added to the water, Dickess said. But aspirin works, too.

Don’t set the tree close to a heat source. This will dry the tree out, and possibly start a fire. Dickess suggested turning down the room temperature a few degrees.

"The cooler it is for the tree, the healthier it stays," he said.

Trees at the Dickess Tree Farm range from $12 to $90. The trees vary in height from just a few feet to 12-feet tall.