The 3rd Day of Patmas

From 2012...

On the 3^rd Day of Patmas, I give to you…3 amazing Christmas Trees!

The Christmas Tree is a staple of any true Christmas display.  If you do not have a Christmas tree, you just aren’t doing it right!  So, today we’re going to look at the best of the best…quite simply, these are the best Christmas Trees we have to offer here in the United States!

1.  Douglas Fir - Douglas Fir is not a true fir but actually has its own unique classification.  Unlike true firs the cones on Douglas fir hang downward.  Douglas fir grows cone-shaped naturally, has 1 to 1-1/2 inch needles that are persistent and has a sweet scent when crushed.  The Doug fir tree is shipped to and found in nearly every tree lot in the Unites States.  The tree was named after David Douglas who studied the tree in the 1800's.

2.  Colorado Blue Spruce – The Colorado Blue Spruce is most familiar to people as an ornamental landscape tree.  The tree has dark green to powdery blue needles, 1 to 3 inches long and a pyramidal form when young.  Colorado blue spruce is very often sold "living" and with an entire root ball - to be planted after the holidays.  The spruce was chosen in 1978 and planted as the official living White House Lawn Christmas tree.  The young tree is pleasingly symmetrical, is best among species for needle retention and the state tree of both Utah & Colorado.

3.  Noble Fir - The Noble fir, is a western North American fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range mountains of extreme northwest California and western Oregon and Washington in the United States.  It is a high altitude tree, typically occurring at 980–4,900 ft in altitude, only rarely reaching tree line.  Noble fir has upturned needles, exposing the lower branches. The tree is outstanding in its beauty, has a long cut life and its stiff branches make for using heavy ornaments.

Now, those are some clutch tree pictures!  Sexy!  That's all for the 3rd day of Patmas...thanks for coming out!

Wait, no, that would be lame (although, those are three of the most popular trees in the US for Christmas trees).  You guys want to see pretty lights!  You guys want to see a cornucopia of colors.  You guys, quite simply, want to be wowed!  I know this, and I give the readers what they want!  So, after the jump, the top three trees (as voted on by…me!)

1.  The National Christmas Tree, Washington D.C. – The National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C.  Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas tree.  The grand illumination of the Christmas lights on the tree by the President of the United States early in December is an annual event.  Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has made formal remarks during the tree lighting ceremony.  Since 1954, the event has marked the start of month-long festivities known as the Pageant of Peace.  Smaller trees representing the U.S. states, District of Columbia, and unincorporated territories of the United States around the National Christmas Tree are referred to as the Pathway to Peace.

Interestingly enough, the current National Christmas Tree was just planted on October 27, 2012!  So, this year is the first year that this particular tree is being used as the National Christmas Tree.  The third living tree to be used as the National Christmas Tree stood from 1978 through 2010.  On Saturday, February 19, 2011, the National Christmas tree was felled after its trunk snapped in a windstorm which contained gusts of up to 50 mph.  Knowing the tree was at risk and would eventually need to be replaced, a successor tree had already been selected.  The new tree was planted on March 19, 2011. The new tree was a 26.5-foot tall Colorado blue spruce which was obtained from an unnamed tree nursery in New Jersey.  On May 5, 2012, the blue spruce was declared dead by the National Park Service due to "transplant shock".  The agency said the exceptionally warm summer of 2011 and the winter of 2011-2012 also played a role.  The dead tree was cut down. The NPS said it had already identified a Colorado spruce as a replacement.  It was planted this past October, and will hopefully survive longer than the last one.

2.  Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, New York City – The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a large Christmas tree placed annually in Rockefeller Center in mid-town Manhattan in New York City.  The tree is erected and lit in late November or early December.  In recent years, the lighting has been broadcast live nationwide on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center show.  The tree, usually a Norway spruce 69 to 100 feet tall, has been put up every year since 1933.  In 2012, the Christmas Tree Lighting took place on November 28th.

Many Rockefeller trees were given to Rockefeller Center by donors.  The late David Murbach, Manager of the Gardens Division of Rockefeller Center, scouted in a helicopter for the desired tree in areas including Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, upstate New York, New Jersey, and even Ottawa, Canada.  Once a suitable tree is located, a crane supports it while it is cut, and moves it to a custom telescoping trailer that can transport trees up to 125 feet tall, although the width of New York City streets passing through Rockefeller Center limits the height of the trees to 110 feet.  The 2012 Tree came from Flanders, NJ and is 80 feet tall!  Once at the Rockefeller Center, the tree is supported by four guy-wires attached at its midpoint, and by a steel spike at its base.  Scaffolding is put up around the tree to assist workers in putting up 30,000 lights attached to 5 miles of wiring.  The star that has topped the tree since 2004 is 9.5 feet in diameter and weighs 550 pounds.

3.  Faneuil Hall Tree, Boston - Since the 1940s, Bostonians have gathered on the Boston Common to watch the mayor flip on the seasonal lights.  But the city's tallest tree is actually on display a sleigh’s ride away, in front of Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  This year, revelers will be treated to a gigantic 85-foot-tall tree—plus bell-ringers, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and a cappella choirs.  Taken together, Faneuil Hall and the nearby Common will brighten Beantown with more than one million seasonal lights.

OK, now that's truly all she wrote for today's post.  A double shot of 3 trees...first some of the most popular trees used as Christmas Trees, and finally some of the most pretty and popular Christmas Trees in the country!  Hope you enjoyed this knowledge bomb with pretty pictures!