While some families have been dragging their dusty old plastic Christmas trees out of storage, Wagga’s Sunrise Rotary prefers the real thing.
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The community group has been selling live Christmas trees for a few years now and they’re growing in popularity, according to Dennis Blackett.
“A lot of people like a live tree, the smell of pine is something we had as kids,” Mr Blackett said.
“When my children were little we had real trees for them, I think they’re far superior to plastic ones.”
Mr Blackett said his family bought a new ornament for their Christmas tree whenever there was a major event in their lives, such as a death, a birth or a marriage.
“My wife and I had our first Christmas together in England,” he said.
“That started the tradition of buying something special to commemorate events in our lives.”
When it came time to decorate the tree, Mr Blackett said, all of the memories were brought back.
Live trees held a particularly special place for Fred Loneragan, who had childhood memories of snow falling on the pine trees at Bathurst on Christmas Day.
“They remind me of home, it’s very comforting,” Mr Loneragan said.
“If cared for properly, live trees can last for several weeks.”
With Christmas Eve only three weeks away, plenty of people were looking to get their decorations in order, something Sunrise president-elect Deidre Tome knows a thing or two about.
“I have so many decorations now,” Mrs Tome said.
“I can do a toy theme if there will be kids around or I can just do a simple colour theme, there tends to be a theme throughout the house.
“For me it’s about having ornaments with special memories.”
However, Mrs Tome also said there were a few precautions tree-stylists needed to take.
“Don’t put lights near tinsel,” she warned.
“And try not to put chocolate decorations on your tree in the heat, especially if you have pets inside.
“You also need to keep a live tree watered, they consume about four litres the first day and one litre a day after that.”
Sunrise Rotary will be selling their trees this weekend at Bunnings and the volunteers can help answer any questions.
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