Explore fa-la-lots of Christmas tree options

Has picking out your holiday tree begun to feel a little like ordering a latte at Starbucks?

"I'll have a no-spray, double Grand Fir, please."

"Make mine a short organic, and keep it live."

With so many choices, it's easy to consider just giving up, heading to the corner gas station tree lot and buying the first tree that will fit in your car. Well, before you lose heart, read on for our tips on avoiding the last-minute scramble and arriving home from the tree farm, garden store or Christmas tree lot with the perfect greenery for the holidays.

Tree Farms

Tree farms open the day after Thanksgiving, so in just a few days you'll be able to throw a tarp in the trunk, pack up the whole family and go hunt and cut down your own tree.

Most farms will provide you with all the tools you'll need, as well as shaking and bailing services. Hay rides, hot cider and bonfires turn the tree-harvesting chore into a fun family tradition -- and work wonders at distracting the kids from the dangerous sharp stuff.

Visit the Carnation Tree Farm for a bit of historical edutainment. The farm, which has been designated a historical landmark, has been in owner Roger Thorsen's family for more than 100 years and features a restored barn from 1910. At Trees 'n Bees in Auburn, you can pick up fresh, local honey with your greenery. Trees 'n Bees is a Stewardship Forest, a member of the National Forest Service organization promoting sustainable farming.

For more tree farms throughout the Northwest, visit the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association.

Before you load up the car and head to the farm, you should know what kind of tree you're looking for. Douglas Firs are one of the most popular and economical trees in the Northwest (around $27 for an 8-foot tree), offering sturdy, arching branches with just the right Christmas-tree shape. However, these trees only last about three weeks in your home.

The Grand Fir (about $40 for a 7-foot tree) keeps longer indoors and has beautiful dark-green needles that smell like citrus fruits when crushed. The silvery green needles of the Noble Fir (about $55 for a 7-foot tree) are commonly found in wreaths, and these large, full trees have excellent needle retention. The Norway Spruce (about $40 for a 7-foot tree) has graceful, open layers of branches filled with blue-green, with short, stiff needles that are perfect for hanging ornaments.

Don't forget that King County and the City of Seattle have programs for recycling cut Christmas trees. Make sure that you remove all lights, ornaments and tinsel, so the trees can be turned into mulch. Flocked trees, those that are sprayed with artificial snow, have to be thrown in the garbage. If you want a white frosted tree, consider an artificial version that you can use over and over each year.

Faux Firs

Although artificial trees can cost significantly more upfront than their freshly cut counterparts, they also set up in a snap, don't fill your carpet with pokey needles, and come in styles to please just about everyone. Plus, you get the satisfaction of reusing the same tree each year -- one less thing to worry over during the holiday rush.

If you thought that Party at Display and Costume in Roosevelt was just a Halloween store, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see the huge variety of holiday paraphernalia the shop has to offer. Tucked among ornaments and garlands to suit any taste are faux trees both realistic ($200-$600) and funky ($50-$200).

Nine-foot-tall almost-real pines tower over bright purple "pencil" trees so narrow they hardly take up any space, and tiny tabletop trees made from fluffy white feathers that are perfect for small condos and apartments. For a truly alternative holiday, pick up a swaying 9-foot-tall artificial palm, and swap your eggnog for Christmas Mai Tais.

Sodo's Herban Pottery also offers a wide variety of realistic pines and firs ($300-$600), complete with hundreds or even thousands of twinkling lights already built in -- with long-life guarantees. While you're there, you could pick up a garden gnome or two and deck them out in lights as part of your outdoor holiday décor.

Many more tree varieties are available from online retailers if you order early enough to have them shipped. Check out Treetopia for some modern tree alternatives.

The Greenest Trees

To help keep global warming at bay, consider a living Christmas tree this year, and plant it once the holidays are over so it keeps on sucking up its share of carbon dioxide in the years to come. Choose a small (up to 6 feet tall), healthy, burlap-wrapped fir ($100-$150 from most nurseries), or consider alternative varieties, such as 2-foot rosemary bushes trimmed in the traditional Christmas tree shape ($17-$20), the perfect size for apartments with no room for a fully-grown cut tree.

Look for trees that have been in their pots for a while, and avoid recently dug trees that may be under stress and won't appreciate being quickly moved indoors. Also, live trees can only stand being decked out in lights or near the fireplace for up to 10 days before being permanently damaged, so be sure to take down the ornaments and get the tree back outside as soon as the festivities are over.

Both Molbak's and Swansons Nursery offer a wide selection of conventionally grown live firs (as well as a full range of cut trees) ranging from 2 feet to 7 feet, along with plenty of advice on how to care for a living tree. Skagit Valley's Blue Heron Farm & Nursery, about a two-hour drive north of Seattle, offers a limited number of organically grown Grand Firs in pots, as well as some larger cut trees.

One Earth One Design and landscape design firm Akina Designs have teamed up this year to make it easy to host a living tree, including delivery to your house and help planting the tree after the holidays, or donating your tree to public greenspaces. Varieties include White Fir, Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar trees, from 3 feet to 7 feet for just under $300. Orders must be received by Dec. 13.

If you decide to plant your living Christmas tree yourself, make sure you find the right spot so you don't knock out your electricity. Most conifers require full sun and grow to a height of more than 150 feet. Seattle Tilth's Natural Lawn & Garden Hotline (info@lawnandgardenhotline.org) can give you great advice on proper transplanting techniques.

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