Christmas Trees in Chattanooga, Tennessee 2008

As a child, my family always centered our Holiday decorations around an artificial Christmas tree. It happened the same way every year: Soon after Thanksgiving, my father would dig out the Christmas tree box, along with the boxes holding the ornaments, from the garage, jumping every time a spider scurried out from its just-exposed hiding place. My mother would then assemble the tree, separating out all of the branches in an asymmetrical arrangement that only looked right when she did it. She always made sure that there were no bare spots to reveal the plastic pole that held the tree together, and she always made sure that each branch turned up slightly at the end, forming natural-looking hooks that would keep the ornaments from falling onto the ground. She would then decorate the tree with tinsel, my father sighing every time he watched a piece fall loosely onto the carpet, anticipating the mess he would later have to vacuum. Proceeding, my father would string the lights onto the tree, plugging them in every so often to make sure that each light bulb worked, excitedly unscrewing and replacing the ones that had blown out the year before. After this step, my younger brother, sisters, and I would decorate the tree with our favorite ornaments, giving the sturdier hook-less decorations to the youngest siblings. After we finished, my mother would balance her antique angel on top of the tree. I remember thinking how beautiful it was, every single year. The ending result was a cluttered, colorful tree, the bottom foot or two covered in apples and golden pinecones--it was perfect.

One year, however, my family decided to try out a "real" Christmas tree. We picked out a very petite tree, one that would fit in the average ceilings of our cozy condo. The tree was beautiful to look at, but one of the first things we noticed when we pulled it out of our van was the debris that it left on the car floor. My dad's sighing commenced, and my mother fetched a decorative tree skirt that would guard the floor from the needles. Once the tree was set up in our living room, my mother, siblings, and I agreed that whatever mess the tree caused would be worth it. It looked and smelled like Christmas. My father pointed out that the needles were already skipping the tree skirt and settling in the carpet. The tree did make a huge mess and turned out to be much more trouble than excitement. We solved the problem by vacuuming twice a day, but were discouraged when we spotted my Yorkshire Terrier celebrating the new tree by using it to mark his territory. After that, my father swore of "real" Christmas trees forever.

It has occurred to me that many families have overcome all of the dilemmas caused by placing a real tree inside your home for the Holidays and are well prepared and anxious to pick out a new tree this year. If you are one who celebrates the Holidays by picking out a real, unique tree, here are some places near Chattanooga, Tennessee that dedicate their lives to providing a Christmas tree for your family:

Christmas Tree Farms:

Raulston Acres Christmas Tree Farm

Owners: Dan & Karen Raulston

Open November 28, 2008

Tree types: Murray Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, Blue Ice, Frazier Fir/ Canaan Fir (Limited Supply)

Services: Shaking Trees, Baling Trees, Saws, Drilling, Hayrides, & General Customer Service

Location: Walker County, GA Hwy 95 737 Hankins Road, Rock Springs, Ga, 30379

Phone Number: (706) 764 2065

Wesbite: www.raulstonacres.gacta.com/

Mapquest Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&address=737%20Hankins%20Road%20&city=Rock%20Springs&state=GA

Bosshardt Family Farms

7 Miles from Chattanooga

Hours: Opens 2:30 PM Thanksgiving Day Weekdays: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM Weekends: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Closed Sundays

Tree Types: Virginia Pine, Leyland Cypress, Red Cedar, White Pine

Directions: Take the new U.S. 27 Bypass to Longhollow Road, Turn West 1.5 miles. Look for Signs. Or take Mission Ridge Road to Longhollow Road, Turn East 3/4 mile on the right.

Location: 1713 North Long Hollow Road, Chickamauga, GA, 30707

Website: www.bosshardt.gacta.com/

Kittle Christmas Tree Farm

Tree Types: Leyland Cypress, Virginia Pine, and Red Cedar Christmas Trees

Location: 905 Salem Valley Rd, Ringgold, GA, 30736

Directions: Take I-75 Exit 345, Ringgold - Tunnel. Go one mile North on Hwy 41, Right on Salem Valley Rd. Or from Ringgold, go south on Hwy 41, 4 miles, turn left on Salem Vallery Rd.

Phone: (706) 935-3563

Website: www.kittlechristmastreefarm.gacta.com/

Home Depot

Home Depot has a large selection of live Christmas Trees as well. They can be found following this link:

www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Na?marketID=90027&locStoreNum=770&N=10000003+530276%2b90027&catalogId=10053&dim_search=1

Or, if you are like my family, here are some artificial Christmas Tree Stores

Stores With Artificial Christmas Trees:

Wal-Mart

There are several Wal-Marts in the Chattanooga area. All of the Wal-Mart Christmas trees are around the same price.

Popular Trees:

$25 4' Indiana Spruce Blue/Green Tree with Multicolored lights. (Also, blue/green tree with colored lights, white tree with clear lights, same price/deal)

Comes with Stand, 150 Indoor Lights. www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5012959

$35 6.5' Colorado Tree with Clear Lights

600 tips on tree, Comes with :stand, 400 UL clear lights (prestrung), Stand www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7958324

$88 7' Prelit Douglas Fir, Clear Lights www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3162815

$148 7.5' Himalayan Christmas Spruce, 1510 Tips, 700 Clear Indoor Lights, Foot Switch www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10153513

$598 15' Deodar Spruce Tree, 2200 Clear Lights, 7366 tips, Stand www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5969622

For More: www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=628740

Open: 24/7 !!

Lowe's

Popular Trees:

$38 Holiday Living 4-1/2' Deluxe Aspen Pine Multicolor Pre-Lit Tree

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=69653-84523-U05G081B&lpage=none

$58 Holiday Living 6 1/2' 400-Light Clear Pre-Lit Tree

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=175098-84523-U04G783C&lpage=none

$78 Holiday Living 6-1/2' Seneca Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=13693-84523-W14F0115&lpage=none

$98 Westinghouse 7-1/2' Madison Fir Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=67999-79198-MAD-70C5&lpage=none

$298 Westinghouse 9' Grower's Choice Elizabeth Pine Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=182029-79198-EP-90C9Z1&lpage=none

More: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&N=4294961544&Ntk=i_products&Ntt=christmas%20trees

Have a safe, wonderful Holiday season. Make it a memorable one!

:)