SeeCalifornia.com

An albino Christmas tree? Are you kidding me? California’s eternal Christmas includes seeing a rare white tree in the Humboldt County redwood forests, the Lone Cypress which struggles on a rock formation along 17 Mile Drive as the symbol of Pebble Beach, and the oldest tree in the world, the 5,064-year old Bristlecone Pine in the White Mountains in Inyo County.

Around this time of December the 33+ million Americans with cut Christmas trees are beginning to see needles from their treasure fall to the ground, the fresh scent fades and some may even worry that their beloved symbol of Christmas is a fire hazard. According to National Christmas Tree Association, that’s a myth.

CHRISTMAS TREE SAFETY

• 44% of Christmas tree fires involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction
• 24% of the fires were caused by the tree being too close to some type of heat source
• 6% were the result of someone, typically a child, playing with fire or other heat source.

CHRISTMAS TREE MYTHS

• Christmas Trees are fire hazards. Myth! Fewer than one-one thousandth of a percent (0.001%) of all real Christmas trees used each year are involved in a fire.
• Christmas Trees cause allergies. Myth! Many people falsely believe real Christmas trees are the culprit for allergy flare ups. Allergic reactions to tree pollen or even tree sap, isn’t as widespread as many believe. While the Christmas Tree often takes the blame, the main culprits include mold, dust and food.

CHRISTMAS TREE STATISTICS

• 33 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. each year
• 9.5 million Fake Christmas trees are sold each year
• 350 million Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas tree farms
• 7 years is average growing time for a Christmas tree
• 84% Percentage  purchased a pre-cut tree; 16% cut down a tree
• $1.07 Billion spent on Real Trees vs $670 Million on Fake Trees
• 80 % of artificial trees in the U.S. are imported from China