I’ve got a botanical holiday mystery I want to solve, and I don’t have the faintest idea how.
It’s become a favorite tradition for me and my 10-year-old daughter Kinsey to hunt down the perfect Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend. Well… only if it’s below 70 degrees here in Houston, where it’s hard to get into an elfish mood when it’s a warm and humid November day.
Sunday was surprisingly blustery and chilly, so off we went to the same upscale nursery where we always plunk down a hundred bucks for a fresh Frazier Fir. (I’ve gone the cheap tree-lot route before and quickly ended up with a crispy fire hazard. Ya get what ya pay for.)
Relentless gusts of wind kept toppling all the trees over at the nursery, so it was tough to pick out the perfect specimen. Nevertheless, we found a six-foot keeper and soon had it roped to the top of our vehicle. Kinsey decided the tree’s name should be Harold.
It’s the first time we’ve named our tree but, hey, why not? We’ll be feeding and caring for him in our home for at least a month, protecting him from our over-energetic Schnauzer, adorning him with cherished family treasures, expecting him to light the way for Santa himself. Harold deserves an identity better than just “The Tree.”
I managed to carry Harold up the flight of stairs to our condo, place him with his least-handsome side toward the wall, and give him a good drink of water. We wanted to allow him a day to relax before draping him in lights and ornaments. That’s when I noticed something was wrong.
I gave up our artificial tree years ago because the holidays didn’t feel complete without the evergreen fragrance of a REAL tree filling our home. Harold was definitely real… but he had no smell! I stuck my head into his branches and breathed deeply. I crushed some of his needles between my fingers and sniffed. Barely an iota of pine-y scent. How could that be?
The next day, I called the nursery and tried to find out what was up. Scent-cancelling pesticides? Misguided genetic engineering? A left-wing conspiracy to squash everyone’s Christmas spirit?
I felt rather silly describing the reason for my call, but the woman on the phone asked me to wait on hold a moment. Minutes later, she came back on the line saying, “You’re right! I sniffed some of our trees, wreaths, and garlands and could barely smell anything!” Still, she couldn’t offer any explanation.
I feel cheated. I suppose I could tie some of those ridiculous car air fresheners on Harold as make-shift ornaments to fake the missing fragrance. But I really want to know where Harold’s smell went.
Tell me this, dear reader (that means you, Mom) — have you bought a fresh tree? And did you take a good whiff? Are Kinsey and I the only Frazier Fir consumers wondering whether certain growers have been meddling with Mother Nature?
Can’t wait to hear if we’re alone in our predicament…
11 responses so far ↓
Janine Joi // December 5, 2008 at 9:42 pm |
Hey Shelley, I had to look up what a Frazier Fir is! I’ve never heard of it and I farmed/sold Christmas trees for 25 years. Course all out West. Silver tip, THE best tree for Christmas. Smells wonderful, the only symetrical tree, the tips are actually a silver/blue. Ah but I digress. So Frazier is supposed to be a very nice smelling Christmas tree.
Not having an aroma is bad if you have a live tree. I actually can’t imagine what would cause a tree to lose it’s fragrance.
Make sure the tree has enough water and is uptaking that water. More water=more smell.
It could also be your sense of smell? Maybe your city is teaming with scents of other things, so your sense of scent is off? [and the salesperson's also]
Maybe it’s really a fake tree painted green?
Janine
she11ey // December 6, 2008 at 3:29 pm |
Thanks for stopping by, Janine! We’re really getting worried about Harold. He’s hardly drinking any water. Unfortunately, he’s all decorated now, so it’s not exactly something we can easily exchange at the store!
This is really disappointing. I can usually count on getting super-fresh, well-cared-for trees from this nursery. At least he LOOKS okay…
blaire // December 8, 2008 at 11:13 am |
Shelley
I have news for you about Harold. Direct quote from the internet: High moisture content is one of the main factors in aroma release in Christmas trees. Trees that dont smell from the beginning of bringing them home are already dried out. Harold is “past his prime and already dried out” in spite of the way he may look (i.e, not brown and withered)
Expert tree growers recommend that you
“Try grabbing say 10 or 12 needles from the inside or back side, and snapping them open like a fresh carrot. Then smell. If there is a strong scent, then the tree is fine.” If not, it is confirmed that Harold is actually Maude and going through menopause. By the way, it’s not the nursery, it’s the way the tree was cut, something about trees needing to be stressed before being put in a stand on the lost. Your nursery may have bought from the wrong supplier this year. And since they dont know why the trees dont smell, it makes me wonder how much they know about buying Christmas trees.
she11ey // December 8, 2008 at 8:51 pm |
Thanks for doing the homework, Blaire. Him being a Frazier, I could only grab Harold by the short hairs (I mean, needles) which are difficult to snap like a carrot. I pulled them without warning and crushed them in my hand. Do you think that will stress him enough? So far… nothing.
blaire // December 12, 2008 at 7:30 am |
I think it’s time to face facts. Harold is….well Harold is a neutered tree. A tree without smell. That makes him a special needs tree. Harold is a perfect name and it sounds vaguely needy. I am picturing him like the Charlie Brown tree although you said he looked good. I want a picture because I dont think that’s him in the picture beside the post because that doesn’t look like you. Unless you’ve been sneaking botox and way too many lip injections.
she11ey // December 12, 2008 at 12:49 pm |
Definitely not me in the photo. I have actual pores.
geof // December 18, 2008 at 7:52 pm |
It is very interesting – I have a nobel fir this year and it does not have a scent. Perplexed I mentioned this to several of my friends and they are reporting the same issue, all purchased from different lots in San Diego … The tree is not dry or loosing needles.
she11ey // December 18, 2008 at 8:54 pm |
Aha! So I’m not crazy after all! This is really strange, Geof…
Someone wrote the National Christmas Tree Association about a similar problem. I think the response “the sense of smell is very subjective” is lame. Who doesn’t know what a Christmas tree SMELLS like?
Linda // December 21, 2008 at 8:14 pm |
I also have a beautiful tree – very full and fresh, but with no scent! What’s going on??
she11ey // December 21, 2008 at 9:42 pm |
Linda, what city are you in? Just curious…
Tanya // December 29, 2008 at 12:41 pm |
I have a frazier fir and have the exact same problem. When I first researched on the internet there was only one person I could find expressing their frustration at the no sent. It really made a difference not having a tree that smelled. I hope next year is different. I have bought frazier firs for over 10 years; thought I was crazy. Thanks for sharing!