Finding the proper Christmas tree can be a dark pursuit
(subhed) Finding the right tree can be dark pursuit
By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE — Black is the new green, for Christmas trees at least.
While the evergreens — bedecked in tinsel, ribbons and candy canes — continue to be the choice holiday tree for many Americans, whether it’s authentic or artificial, a breed of less conventional trees have been finding their way into living rooms across the country.
Though green and white trees are the traditional favorites, the black artificial tree is dominating the United States holiday market for alternatively-colored trees, according to Bill Quinn, spokesman for ChristmasTreeforMe.com, a Dallas-based company that specializes in pre-lit artificial Christmas trees.
A black tree might appear to be a depressing candidate to serve as the centerpiece of the winter holidays, but when decorated, it can be just as beautiful as the typical evergreen tree, Quinn said.
340,“When you see it properly decorated, it is very elegant,” Quinn said on Thursday. “I’ve seen it decorated with Mardi Gras colors, decorated with crystals.”
The black artificial Christmas tree enjoyed popularity in the United Kingdom a few years ago when the upside down Christmas tree was making its mark in the United States. The black tree debuted with mild success in the United States in the 2006 holiday season, but its popularity has exploded this year.
The unconventional trees have increasingly appeared in homes the past few years, but usually takes a back seat to the evergreens as the family’s secondary tree. Following the black Christmas tree, the most popular colors are red trees, followed by pink, blue, purple and lime green.
“In a lot of homes in the U.S., people don’t have just one tree anymore,” Quinn said.
“In a lot of homes in the U.S., people don’t have just one tree anymore,” — Quinn said. YOU RARELY DO ROAST BEEF ON THANKSGIVING, YOU DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE VERY BORING AND VERY REASSURING BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY CONSTANT.” Clarke Gernon, National Christmas Tree Association
Though artificial trees hold a stigma among holiday traditionalists, many are being made to appear and feel authentic. Made from polyethylene, the branches are soft and pliable like a real tree.
But the real evergreens still seem to be a primary choice for those who don’t mind the mess or don’t have allergies.
“The smell takes you back to when you were a kid,” said Dominique Rooney on a rainy Friday morning, when she was shopping for a Christmas tree with her family at Shawn’s Christmas Trees on Wilshire Boulevard.
Though the Santa Monica resident said she wouldn’t rule out ever buying a pink or black tree as a secondary tree in her home, she prefers tradition, decorating her tree with plaid decorations and popcorn.
Most people in Santa Monica do seem to prefer real Christmas trees, said Eliane Wilk, who has operated the tree lot on Wilshire Boulevard with her husband for the past five years. One of the biggest thrills with using the authentic tree is buying it.
68E,“It’s fun for the family,” Wilk said. “Some take it seriously, sometimes I see them fighting over the trees.”
Silly druids, the sky isn’t falling
The concept of putting a tree inside of a house actually predates the birth of Jesus Christ. To commemorate the winter solstice, the druids placed an evergreen tree inside their homes as a reassurance that the world would not end, said Clarke Gernon, who served on the board of directors of the National Christmas Tree Association.
“Four thousand years ago, we didn’t understand the meteorological or the climatological cycles that the Earth went through,” Gernon said. “In their simplistic view of the world, their concern was that the Earth had died and it didn’t.”
The tree ornaments came thousands of years later and originally were thought of as gifts rather than decorations. The gifts were moved under the tree because it symbolized fallen fruit.
While the current tradition has remained roughly the same over the past several thousand years, Gernon doesn’t believe there is a trend shifting toward the eccentric pink trees. Gernon, who owns a Christmas tree lot in Louisiana, said Christmas is a traditional time of year and the concept of tradition is repetition.
“It’s like having a turkey on Thanksgiving,” he said. “You rarely do roast beef on Thanksgiving, you do all of the things that are very boring and very reassuring because they are very constant.”
Jump hedline: Black trees are all the rage for Christmas
Suggested pullquote: “You rarely do roast beef on Thanksgiving, you do all of the things that are very boring and very reassuring because they are very constant.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 1, 2007. Read the original PDF.