For those of us who love the scent of freshly cut pine and who want to have a Christmas tree up for four weeks, getting a tree that you cut yourself is a good deal.
Granted, it can be daunting running all over the farms looking for that perfect tree.
For I don’t know how many years, we would head out to TLV Tree Farm to get a tree. Right after Thanksgiving.
I have been going through old pictures to decide which to keep and I have found dozens of pictures of our decorated house. Mostly with trees that we cut ourselves.
There are three choices here in Howard County. This web site gives you the name of the farms, arranged by county. Besides TLV, there are two others. Greenway Farms and Browning Tree Farm.
Just over the county lines, Pine Valley is north on Rte. 97 with an incredibly huge selection. And, Gaver Tree Farm is west of Mt. Airy, on Detrick Rd. Very close to a farm I frequent during the winter to buy dairy, meat, eggs and produce, England Acres.
If you want to support local businesses this holiday season, head out to the farms and either cut a tree or pick up one that they have cut very recently.
Certainly beats those dried up things the big box stores sell. Price wise, they are a good deal too.
Or, those of us who support Gorman Farm on Gorman Rd. east of Hopkins, can head out there where the farm stand is also open.
hocoblogs@@@
AnnieRie Unplugged 
I saw a little segment on TV about keeping your tree a little fresher. If you cut your own, wrap the very bottom around the cut part with a wet hand towel then put a plastic bag over that and tie so it stays attached until you get home. Take all that off before putting in your tree stand, of course. I imagine by keeping the cut area wet the tree might be able to absorb more water. I know roses sometimes “seal up” where they’ve been cut if the cut area is exposed to air, then they can’t pull up much water. If you buy a pre-cut tree, ask the seller to cut off a couple inches from the bottom of the trunk and use the wet towel as above.