Black Friday after Thanksgiving Day is the kick-off day for Christmas shopping and also for Christmas tree sales. Christmas tree stands are scattered throughout the county filled with beautiful green trees needing a home for Christmas. Below are a few tips on selecting our classic holiday favorite.

• North Carolina is second only to Oregon in Christmas tree production in the United States.

• Fraser firs are considered the ultimate Christmas tree type. The White House Christmas tree this year was a Fraser fir from Ashe County.

• Fraser firs comprise 90 percent of all Christmas trees grown in North Carolina — 58 million on 38,000 acres.

• Fraser firs only grow in higher altitudes in the mountains at elevations above 3,000 feet in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

• It takes 12 years on the average to grow a Fraser fir Christmas tree, about 8 years to grow a white pine Christmas tree.

• The best way to judge a fresh cut tree is to pinch the needles. They should be soft and aromatic. Shake the tree. If needles fall, go to another tree.

• Trim ¼ to ½ inch off the butt end of trunk before placing into the stand. Fresh cuts allow water uptake to keep the tree fresh.

• Put water in the stand immediately after erecting the tree in the stand. A typical Christmas tree may consume up to one quart of water a day.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu.