The Best Christmas Tree To Get

Front porch at Christmas time with tree and garlands

Image by Karen Palmer; home of Jo Shetley

Shopping for your Christmas tree? If you’ve decided to go with a live Christmas tree instead of a faux tree, you’re helping support the US tree economy and provide forestry for the US wildlife! But what is the best Christmas tree type to get? Here are our 4 favorite evergreen species and why we love them.

Noble Fir

The noble fir is known for its longevity and beauty, and is often used not only for some of the best Christmas trees, but fresh wreaths. Its needles turn upward, which exposes the lower side of the branches and makes ornament hanging easy. It also has stiff branches that can hold heavier ornaments.

Fraser Fir

The Fraser Fir is one of the most popular species in the US for the best Christmas tree. It has soft needles on sturdy branches with good spacing, which makes them easy to decorate with ornaments. This species is often used as the White House indoor Christmas tree, and is known for being long lasting and looking fresh throughout the season.

Douglas Fir

Another of the most popular US Christmas tree species is the Douglas Fir. The branches are usually packed tightly together, and their needles fan out from the branches in all directions, which gives the tree a dense, full look. This type of tree is perfect if you want to keep things simple with flocking or lights. If you want to hang lots of ornaments though, you might need a tree with more space between branches.

Colorado Blue Spruce

The blue spruce is an unusual pick because of its unique blue-gray needle color, so if you’re looking for unique, this is a great choice for your best Christmas tree. It has sharp needles that are often used to stuff pine pillows. The tree has stiff branches that are great for hanging ornaments, and the blue spruce is known for being long lasting. But do be aware that when they’re crushed, the needles give off an unpleasant odor.

Tree Tips

Ready to head out for the best Christmas tree for your family? Learn how to keep your live tree looking good longer.

Select Fresh

The best way to keep your tree looking good is to get the freshest tree you can find. Call the tree lot ahead of time and find out when they get in their new shipments, then go that day and request to see the freshest trees. Or better yet, cut one down directly from a local tree farm.

Stack of fresh Christmas trees — Ask when the tree was cut or delivered to the lot to find the freshest one. Photo from iStock.

Cut it Again

If you’re buying a pre-cut tree, cut the trunk again, either at the tree lot or once you get it home. You should cut off an additional 1-2” to allow the tree to soak up more water and stay fresh longer.

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Get it in Water

Once you cut the trunk again, place the tree in water as soon as possible. The first few days, the tree will soak up a lot of water, so don’t forget to check it often and make sure the water supply isn’t getting low.

Feed the Tree

While there’s some debate over whether feeding a cut tree makes any difference, you can add a little corn syrup or a handful of crushed anti-inflammatory pills such as Advil to your initial batch of water. This may help your tree last longer through the season.

Place it Right

We all have that idealistic vision of the tree next to a front window and in front of the fireplace, but in reality, heat will make your tree drop its needles faster, just like cut flowers. If you can, keep the tree out of direct sunlight and away from too much heat.

Can’t get enough Christmas trees? Neither can we, so click here to find unique ways to decorate with Christmas trees. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!