The first two weekends after Thanksgiving are traditionally the busiest for Christmas tree sales, says Bob King, director of the Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute at Monroe Community College. Touch the trees to make sure the neddles are firm, says Jack Moore, co-owner of Gro-Moore Farms in Henrietta, where trees sell from $40 and up for 6- and 7-foot trees while the small “Charlie Brown” tabletop trees are $20. Also look for any signs of browning, which may indicate the tree did not get enough water, says Curt Conklin, owner of Windy Meadow Tree Farm in Sweden and president of the Christmas Tree Farm Association of New York. Its sharper needles are favored by pet owners who want to keep their dogs or cats off the trees, says Conklin. He sells cut-your-own trees at the Sweden farm for $40 for the fir varieties, $30 for spruce varieties and $25 for pines. read more

Tags: hypoallergenic dogs, conklin, trees, varieties, farm, needles