North Carolina Christmas tree farmers are hoping for a strong year for tree sales to help Western N.C.’s economy rebound and provide a spark of hope for the region. This year in particular, buying local will go a long way in helping farmers. We hope everyone will consider purchasing a real N.C. Christmas tree, wreath, garland, greenery or swag to help Western N.C.  

• Last week we talked about Thanksgiving, so you know this week we have to talk about Christmas trees.

• People have a lot of different traditions around the holidays – some put up their trees the day after Thanksgiving, some put them up on Thanksgiving and some start earlier before Thanksgiving even rolls around.

• When it comes to trees, I hope this will be the year to either CONTINUE the tradition of putting up a real Christmas trees in your home or START a new tradition of putting up a real Christmas tree.

• When you buy a real North Carolina Christmas tree, wreaths, garland or other greenery, you are supporting North Carolina Christmas tree growers and Western N.C., which is desperately needed right now.

• North Carolina growers have trees, and the harvest is well underway. Each of our state-operated farmers markets have fresh-cut trees available for sale along with festive wreaths and other decorating greenery.

•  I have seen fresh-cut trees outside grocery stores and retail stores and, of course, tree lots have popped up in lots of places with North Carolina trees.

• I always recommend people shop early for the best selection, but you should not have any problems finding North Carolina Christmas trees.

• North Carolina farmers typically harvest over 3 million trees annually with 22 % of the real trees grown in the U.S. coming from North Carolina.

• The top six Christmas tree producing counties are Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Watauga, Jackson and Mitchell.

• Those are among a number of counties where you can find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, which is another tradition that many families enjoy.

• When you buy local, that money stays in communities fueling local economies and supporting jobs.

• There are choose-and-cut locations that are open. You can find a list of open farms and retail lots near you at ncchristmastrees.com

•  As you start decorating your homes please remember your support of local farms helps ensure they remain in business and are places we can enjoy for a long time to come.

• Your purchases make a difference, which is a great feeling to carry into the holidays.