A Christmas tree is on the way to the Capitol
The state Christmas tree is coming to the Alabama Capitol. Gov. Kay Ivey’s office says the tree is arriving at about noon Monday. A lighting ceremony is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday, and the public is invited. This year’s Christmas tree is a 35-foot-tall (11-meter) Eastern Red Cedar grown in Bullock County. It was donated by Ray Allen’s farm of Fitzpatrick. The tree will be displayed on the front steps of the state Capitol. Decorations will include ornaments commemorating Alabama’s bicentennial. Republished with the Permission of the Associated Press.
Christmas tree growers battle against popularity of plastic
Millennials have earned a reputation for loving consumer products that are local and artisanal. So why are they buying so many plastic Christmas trees? That’s the question irking Tim O’Connor, the executive director of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board in Littleton, Colorado. To help capture more buyers, growers are positioning themselves as analogs to the local and organic food movement. Real trees have all the things younger adults are drawn to, he said, touting authenticity, benefits to the environment and support for regional economies. They’ve got their work cut out for them. While almost 95 million U.S. households will display a Christmas tree this season, only 19 percent of those are expected to be real, according to a survey conducted by Nielsen for the American Christmas Tree Association released earlier this month. While some houses display both types of trees, most will be putting up artificial trees, usually made from plastic and sometimes coming from factories located across the globe. The tide could already be starting to change, according to George Richardson, the co-owner of Richardson Farms in Spring Grove, Illinois, who’s a fifth-generation farmer. He plants 10,000 seedlings a year on his operation, where buyers can choose and cut their own tree. “Real Christmas trees were immensely popular in 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s, and then the fake trees got in,” Richardson said. “For a while, people thought, this is so convenient, let’s do that. Now we’re finding out that maybe they’re not the healthiest, pristine thing we thought they were, and they’ll end up in a landfill.” Empty-nesters The best customers of real trees are families with children. Older adults from the Baby Boomer generation are becoming empty-nesters, while millennials – a cohort of young people now aged about 18 to 35 – are on the cusp of starting families. That’s left a gap for real trees, which have lost buyers as artificial trees gained. But the real-tree industry says there’s potential to win big over the next decade as young families bloom. Only 20 percent of millennials currently have young children, O’Connor of the farmer-funded Christmas Tree Promotion Board said. That leaves the lion’s share of the biggest generation – and their future Christmas traditions – still up for grabs. O’Connor also hopes to capture younger consumers’ interest in sustainable products to boost sales. Real Christmas trees are farm-grown like a crop, not cut from a forest, he said. They grow on grounds not suitable for higher value crops, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen, and their roots hold soil in place. When they’re cut, a new one is planted, and after being used, they can be recycled into mulch. Oregon is the top growing state. Still, artificial trees appeal to consumers looking for re-usability and convenience, said Jami Warner, the Sacramento-based executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association, which promotes both the farm-grown and manufactured varieties. It can be set up in minutes and there’s no mess or watering involved. Higher costs Another hurdle for real trees: rising prices. A real Christmas tree will probably cost about 10 percent more this year compared with last, said Doug Hundley, a spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association, which represents growers. Tree supplies are tight, and demand is expected to be robust due to the healthy economy and signs that consumers are set to splurge this holiday. Supplies are still in recovery mode after plantings took a hit during the recession in 2008. It takes as long as 10 years for a tree to grow to market height, so plantings made during the slump are coming to market now. “People have extra money to spend on Christmas, so there’s lots of pressure on the demand side,” he said. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Tis the season! Kay Ivey lights official state Christmas tree
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially after the tree lighting at the steps of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery on Friday night. The state capitol was packed with hundreds of festive onlookers as they watched Gov. Kay Ivey press the button that turned on the more than 35,000 LED lights, setting the 35-foot Eastern red cedar aglow in all its Christmas glory. The tree, donated by Ray Allen owner of Feather’s Properties in Bullock County, was adorned with 100 ornaments which included 67 stars representing each of Alabama’s counties. Friday night’s tree lighting ceremony included a reading of the Christmas story by five Alabamians who are making a difference in their community: Montgomery Police Officer Lt. R.K. Johnson, Montgomery Firefighter Lt Kenneth Peoples, Dozier Elementary School Coach and Teacher Corey Jackson, local student Angel McMillian, and retired Brigadier General Ed Crowell. Special musical performances were provided by The McFarlane’s and the 151st Army Band, Alabama National Guard.
Alabama state Christmas tree lighting ceremony set for Dec. 1
Governor Kay Ivey will light the State’s official Christmas tree during a special ceremony Friday, Dec. 1 on the front steps of the State Capitol. The event officially begins at 5:30 p.m., but Christmas music will be performed by 151st Army Band of the Alabama National Guard and by Will and Janet McFarlane, a husband and wife singing and songwriting duo from Muscle Shoals, Ala. at 5:00 p.m. This year’s tree is a 35-foot Eastern red cedar grown in Bullock County that was donated by Ray Allen owner of Feather’s Properties. It will be adorned with more than 35,000 LED lights and 67 stars representing each of Alabama’s counties.
