On December 24, 1913 in the East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Community Christmas Tree was lit for the first time.  A crowd of about twenty thousand attended the occasion. President Marine Band performed and was accompanied by a chorus of one thousand singers.  The event was organized by Woodrow Wilson and the Vice President, Thomas Marshal.

In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the Community Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, exactly south of the White House.  The Christmas tree was given by Middlebury College in the President’s home state of Vermont.  Though Calvin Coolidge refused to speak at the event, he switches the light of the tree.  The organizers later announced the tree to be the “National Christmas Tree.”

A live Christmas tree makes a wonderful holiday decoration in any home.  For those of us who choose to display a live Christmas tree, artificial will never do!  The smell of a live Christmas tree is wonderful and it brings out the Christmas spirit in all of us.  Your live Christmas tree will be hand selected and cut fresh upon order, and will be carefully packaged and shipped right to you.  Purchasing a live Christmas tree has never been so easy.

From the middle age traditions, the Christmas tree history moves from evergreen trees being decorated outdoors to the trees moved indoors but undecorated, to indoor trees decorated and lit. The first trees indoors were also hung upside down. 16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. This tradition is getting closer to the Christmas tree traditions we currently practice.

In 17th century, Christmas tree was decorated with apples, nuts and strips of red paper. That was when the royal families began to hold the idea of a Christmas tree. It took some years for the Christmas tree tradition to be accepted in the United States. In 1856, President Franklin Pierce first introduced the Christmas tree to the White House. President Calvin Coolidge first lit the, now famous, national Christmas tree in 1923 on the White House lawn. In 1979 President Jimmy Carter only lit the crowning star on top of the National Christmas Tree to honor American hostages.

Today people celebrate Christmas by decorating their trees with various types of lights and ornaments. There are beautiful themed Christmas trees with flowers, ribbons, ornaments and lights. Today we also have a huge number of choices as to whether we want a real or artificial tree, whether it is pre lit, what type of tree, what size of a tree, and so on. There are artificial trees now being made that look and feel so real that you need to wear gloves to put them together. These trees also offer options that are pre-lit with white and colored lights that can change depending on what button you press on your remote. A tree with a remote is a Christmas tree every man needs.

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Dressing up your table for your mealtime holiday guests is tricky. Centerpieces are challenging because they are viewed from all angles, so you have to choose an item that is beautiful from all 360 degrees. When you have a stunning centerpiece, your dining experience is festive and full of Christmas spirit. Is your centerpiece lackluster and losing life? Try something different to surprise your guests this year. These creative ideas can transform your table and create a joyful setting for your feast.

Glass canisters and containers

We grow tired of centerpieces quickly. They are not like Christmas tree ornaments we treasure year after year. After a year or two, we retire them and find replacements. The reusability of this idea makes it sensible as well as stylish. You can easily change out your centerpiece each year by filling clear canisters and containers. When you pitch one “filler”, just swap it out for another. There are so many inexpensive items that pop when grouped together in your clear container, so you can feel less guilty about changing it out each year. Any small, festive items grouped together look great displayed inside your glass containers. Here are just some ideas:

? Christmas ornaments
? Peppermints/candy
? Garland
? Artificial poinsettia blossoms
? Jingle bells
? Gift bows
? Glitter
? Fake snow

Let your imagination guide you and fill your glass containers with the item of your choice. Use one container, or cluster multiple for a larger table. When you have multiple containers, try to find some that vary in height and width to add visual interest. With so many possibilities, you can have a centerpiece that is distinctly you.

Candles

Candles are standard centerpieces, but with a little creativity you can make a candle centerpiece that’s original. Weave garland amongst your candlesticks to dress them up for the holidays. Or, try putting candle rings or wrap short pieces of garland around the base of candlesticks. To create a theme, use the same material as napkin rings. Your table setting will be cohesive and have a custom feel.

If you have larger candles, cluster them together and nestle them inside a wreath, almost as if you are “framing” the candles with the wreath. Add as much or as little décor on your tabletop wreath as you wish. It’s an unexpected use of two very traditional Christmas decorations.

Tabletop tree

Small, tabletop trees are very customizable centerpieces. You can trim your small tree to match your dinnerware. If your dinnerware has a design on it, try to mimic that design on your tree by making your own ornaments. Or, use a food or wine themed tree to appease your guests’ appetite (and distract from the real food if your culinary skills are sub par). Here’s another fun idea: write the names of your guests on inexpensive glass ornaments with a metallic permanent marker. Your guests will feel honored with a tree made just for them. You can use one tree to showcase its brilliance, or make your own mini forest with several very small trees. A strand of lights adds extra sparkle to one or multiple trees, but be sure you get battery-operated lights. A cord dangling from the table is not only unattractive, but can trip you or your guests.

Gifts, already?

Treat your guests extra special with a small, wrapped present adorning each of their plates. Then, place larger, fake gifts in the middle of the table as your centerpiece. Mix up the sizes and shapes of the boxes and use various coordinating patterns of wrapping paper. To really make it look like Santa was in, buy or make a velvet sack, just like Santa’s. Fill it with toys and gifts that spill onto the table. (The only problem is keeping your guests out of Santa’s sack.)

The key with successful centerpieces is creativity. Don’t look for items that are meant to be centerpieces. Those are the kinds of things you will get tired of quickly, because they are so boringly expected. Instead, brainstorm new ways to use items as centerpieces. The more creative your design, the more spectacular your table will be.

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Edward Johnson, one of Thomas Edison’s assistants, invented electric fairy lights in 1882, dressing a tree with 80 small bulbs. By 1902, his invention was being mass produced. While most western households have a special box in the loft marked ‘Christmas tree lights’ you might be surprised to find just how spectacularly diverse the range of fairly lights commercially available today actually is. If that loft box contains a tangled mass of ageing cable and burnt out bulbs, you’re missing out on a new generation of decorative lighting which can transform your home – not just at Christmas, but all the year round.

String lights remain a very popular variety of fairy light – but the kitsch designs, gaudy colours and temperamental bulbs of yesterday have given way to a superb new age of LEDs (light emitting diodes). Not only are these lights vastly more reliable, they last nearly twice as long as their filament predecessors, give a more brilliant glow and frequently come with multiple effects. You can alternate at will between a steady glow, flashing, flickering, waves, pulses, fading and blending or a mix of all them. And you have a far better range of colours to choose from than you did in the past, from brilliant white to ice blue, cranberry red to mistletoe berry white, to spangled, multi-coloured incandescence.

The Christmas tree is today only one of the items you might wish to decorate with lighting. Icicle or string lights can also be tastefully garlanded around the stair-rail and even stair spindles if you have them, or draped around the frames of wall-pictures or mirrors. Curtain, net or icicle lights can also adorn your windows, from the living room to the kitchen to the front door. Or try wrapping a spiral of string lights around the curtain rail. And battery lights transform that stylish bundle of tied twigs in the corner of the hall or that large parlour palm in the living room into a luminously bejewelled objet d’art.

If you have a large glass vase, or a decorative bowl, a string of brilliant white LED lights on a bed of glass beads will transform it into a beautiful feature you’ll not want to be without when the festive season ends (use lights with white or translucent cable though – green cable is too prominent and spoils the effect). Increasingly, people are keeping some of their fairy lights on display all the year round – only the specifically festive (the icicles along the soffits or the Christmas tree illuminations) are sent into hibernation in the loft or basement until next Yuletide. Along with being decorative, fairy lights have increasingly become functional as well.

With lighting like this, you’ll forget about ceiling lights and table lamps: the soothing and classy ambience decorative http://www.ldj-lights.co.uk/ : fairy lightscan produce is always enchanting, subtle and uplifting. No longer just for the holiday season, these lights can give your home a festive feel all 365 days of the year.

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Choosing the Location for your Christmas Tree Forest.

Most homes have a Foyer or Entryway just as you walk in the front door. This can be a fairly small space in a single level home or a much larger two storey room with a staircase. Foyers can be almost any shape from long and narrow, almost hallways to just about any size rectangular shape. The size and shape can be a little tricky and might require a little creative thinking but it is still the perfect place for any size Christmas Tree Forest.

The first thing to do is asses the space you have to work with. Some single storey homes have tall skinny windows on either one side of the door or on both sides. There is also usually a longish wall leading to the back of the Foyer. This would be the perfect place for your Tree Forest in this style of home. In a two storey home there is usually a wall that gradually rises with the staircase, so that the back part of the wall is taller than the front. A Tree Forest works very well in filling the empty space in the taller portion of that wall and is also a beautiful accent for stair rails.

Once you’ve chosen the spot you want to use you will need to take some measurements. You need to know how high your ceiling is, how much room you have along the wall you will use and how far out from the wall you can come.

Choosing your Christmas Trees.

The next thing to do is decide if you want to use live Christmas Trees. They can be purchased in different sizes and they add a very nice pine scent. The other option is Artificial Pine Christmas Trees. Artificial Trees are beautiful as well. They come in a wide variety of sizes and can be purchased with or without lights. Which ever you choose you will need at least 3 to 5 in different heights. For a smaller, single storey space you will need one 7½ to 9 foot Slim Norway Pine Pre Lit Christmas Tree, depending on your ceiling height, one 4 to 6½ foot Slim Norway Pine Pre Lit Christmas Tree and one 3 foot Table Top Artificial Christmas Tree. If you have a two storey Foyer then you could choose as many as 5 trees. I recommend using an uneven number of them and maybe choose two 7½ to 9 foot trees, one 4 to 6½ foot Artificial Christmas Trees and two 3 foot Small Artificial Christmas Trees. In either case you can fill the gaps between trees with smaller 2 foot Miniature Artificial Christmas Trees.

Decorating your Christmas Tree Forest.

Decorating the Trees can be kept very simple and easy by just adding a few Unique Ribbon Bows. You can use Red Velvet Ribbon or choose a theme such as Western or South West and use Red Bandana Ribbon for your bows. Carry your theme up your stair case and put a few bows on the Artificial Garland winding up the stair rails.

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Life and career

Early life

Peart was born on his family’s farm in Hagersville, on the outskirts of Hamilton. The first child of four, his brother Danny and sisters Judy and Nancy were born after the family moved to St. Catharines when Peart was two. At this time his father became parts manager for Dalziel Equipment, a farm machinery supplier. In 1956 the family moved to the Port Dalhousie area of the town. Peart attended Gracefield School, and describes his childhood as happy and says he experienced a warm family life. By early adolescence he became interested in music and acquired a transistor radio, which he would use to tune into pop music stations broadcasting from Toronto, Hamilton and Welland, Ontario and Buffalo, USA.

His first exposure to musical training came in the form of piano lessons, which he later said in his instructional video A Work in Progress did not have much impact on him. He had a penchant for drumming on various objects around the house with a pair of chopsticks, so for his 13th birthday, his parents bought him a pair of drum sticks, a practice pad and some lessons, with the promise that if he stuck with it for a year, they would buy him a kit.

His parents bought him a drum kit for his 14th birthday and he began taking lessons from Don George at the Peninsula Conservatory of Music. His stage debut took place that year at the school’s Christmas pageant in St. Johns Anglican Church Hall in Port Dalhousie. His next appearance was at Lakeport High School with his first group, The Eternal Triangle. This performance contained an original number entitled “LSD Forever”. At this show he performed his first solo.

Peart got a job in Lakeside Park, a fairground on the shores of Lake Ontario, which later inspired a song of the same name on the Rush album Caress of Steel. He worked on the Bubble Game and Ball Toss, but his tendency to take it easy when business was slack resulted in his termination. By his late teens, Peart had played in local bands such as Mumblin Sumpthin, the Majority, and JR Flood. These bands practiced in basement recreation rooms and garages and played church halls, high schools and roller rinks in towns across Southern Ontario such as Mitchell, Seaforth, and Elmira. They also played in the northern Ontario city of Timmins. Tuesday nights were filled with jam sessions at the Niagara Theatre Centre.

Career before joining Rush

At eighteen years of age, after struggling to achieve success as a drummer in Canada, Peart traveled to London hoping to further his career as a professional musician. Despite playing in several bands and picking up occasional session work, he was forced to support himself by selling trinkets to tourists in a souvenir shop called The Great Frog on Carnaby Street.

While in London he came across the writings of novelist and objectivist Ayn Rand. Rand’s writings became a significant philosophical influence on Peart, as he found many of her treatises to individualism and Objectivism inspiring. References to Rand’s philosophy can be found in his lyrics, most notably “Anthem” from 1975’s Fly By Night and “2112″ from 1976’s 2112.

After eighteen months of dead-end musical gigs, and disillusioned by his lack of progress in the music business, Peart placed his aspiration of becoming a professional musician on hold and returned to Canada. Upon returning to St. Catharines, he worked for his father selling tractor parts at Dalziel Equipment.

Joining Rush

After returning to Canada, Peart was recruited to play drums for the St. Catharines band Hush, who played on the South Ontario bar circuit. Soon after, a mutual acquaintance convinced Peart to audition for the Toronto-based band Rush, which needed a replacement for its original drummer John Rutsey. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson oversaw the audition. His future band mates describe his arrival that day as somewhat humorous, as he arrived in shorts, driving a battered old car with his drums stored in trashcans. Peart felt the entire audition was a complete disaster. While Lee and Peart hit it off on a personal level (both sharing similar tastes in books and music), Lifeson had a less than favorable impression of Peart. After some discussion, Lee convinced Lifeson that Peart’s maniacal British style of drumming, reminiscent of The Who’s Keith Moon, was what the band needed.

Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group’s first US tour. Peart procured a silver Slingerland kit which he played at his first gig with the band, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann in front of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14, 1974.

Early career with Rush

Peart soon settled into his new position, also becoming the band’s primary lyricist. Before joining Rush, he had written few songs, but, with the other members largely uninterested in writing lyrics, Peart’s previously underutilized writing became as noticed as his musicianship. The band was still finding its feet as a recording act, and Peart, along with the rest of the band, now had to learn to live from a suitcase.

His first recording with the band, 1975’s Fly by Night, was fairly successful, winning the Juno Award for most promising new act, but, the follow up, Caress of Steel, for which the band had high hopes, was greeted with hostility by both fans and critics. In response to this negative reception, most of which was aimed at the B side spanning epic “The Fountain of Lamneth”, Peart responded by penning “2112″ on their next album of the same name in 1976. The album, despite record company indifference, became their breakthrough and gained a following in the United States. The supporting tour culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, a venue Peart had dreamed of playing in his days on the Southern Ontario bar circuit and where he was now introduced as “The Professor on the drum kit” by Lee.

Peart returned to England for Rush’s Northern European Tour and the band stayed in the United Kingdom to record the next album, 1977’s A Farewell to Kings in Rockfield Studios in Wales. They returned to Rockfield to record the follow up, Hemispheres, in 1978, which they wrote entirely in the studio. The recording of five studio albums in four years, coupled with as many as 300 gigs a year, convinced the band to take a different approach thereafter. Peart has described his time in the band up to this point as “a dark tunnel.”

From this point on, Peart’s career was near exclusively with Rush:

For more details on this topic, see Rush (band).

Play style reinvention

In 1992, Peart was invited by Buddy Rich’s daughter, Cathy Rich, to play at the Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concert in New York City. Though initially intimidated by the request, Peart accepted the offer and performed for the first time with the Buddy Rich Big Band. Feeling that his performance left much to be desired, Peart decided to produce and play on two Buddy Rich tribute albums titled Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich in 1994 and 1997 in order to regain his aplomb.

Peart wrote on his personal website that “And yet…I still had a nagging feeling that when I played in that style, I was just imitating it, not really feeling it properly. As the old Duke Ellington standard goes, ‘It don mean a thing, if it ain got that swing’, and I didn think I did.”

In early 2007, Peart and Cathy Rich again began discussing yet another Buddy tribute concert. In response, Peart decided to once again augment his swing style with formal drum lessons, this time under the tutelage of another pupil of Freddie Gruber, Peter Erskine, himself an instructor of drummer Steve Gadd. On October 18, 2008, Peart once again performed at the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom.

Family tragedy & continuing on

Soon after the culmination of Rush’s Test For Echo Tour on July 4, 1997, Peart’s first daughter and then-only child, 19-year-old Selena Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident on Highway 401 near the town of Brighton, Ontario on August 10. His common-law wife of 22 years, Jacqueline Taylor, succumbed to cancer only 10 months later on June 20, 1998. Peart, however, maintains that her death was the result of a “broken heart” and called it “a slow suicide by apathy. She just didn’t care.”

In his book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, Peart writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena’s funeral, “consider me retired.” Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). After his journey ended, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey.

While Peart was visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, MacNaughtan introduced Peart to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. They married on September 9, 2000. In early 2001, Peart announced to his bandmates that he was ready to return to recording and performing. The product of the band’s return was the 2002 album Vapor Trails. At the start of the ensuing tour in support of the album, it was decided amongst the band members that Peart would not take part in the daily grind of press interviews and “Meet and Greet” sessions upon their arrival in a new city that typically monopolize a touring band’s daily schedule. While Peart has always shied away from these types of in-person encounters, it was decided that having to needlessly expose him to an endless stream of questions about the tragic events of his life was quite unnecessary.

Since the release of Vapor Trails and reuniting with his fellow band mates, Peart has returned to work as a full-time musician. Rush has since released a cover EP, Feedback in June 2004 and their 18th studio album Snakes & Arrows in May 2007, which were supported by three additional tours in 2004, 2007, and 2008.

In the June 2009 edition of Peart’s News, Weather, and Sports, entitled “Under the Marine Layer”, he announced that he and Nuttall were expecting their first child. Peart and Nuttall’s first child, Olivia Louise Peart, was born on August 12, 2009.

Musicianship

Style and influences

Peart (right, behind Geddy Lee) performing with Rush.

Peart is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rock drummers by fans, fellow musicians, and magazines. His influences are eclectic, ranging from John Bonham, Michael Giles, Phil Collins, Steve Gadd, and Keith Moon, to fusion and jazz drummers Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich, Bill Bruford and Gene Krupa. The Who was the first group that inspired him to write songs and play the drums. Peart is distinguished for playing “butt-end out”, reversing stick orientation for greater impact and increased rimshot capacity. “When I was starting out”, Peart later said, “if I broke the tips off my sticks I couldn’t afford to buy new ones, so I would just turn them around and use the other end. I got used to it, and continue to use the heavy end of lighter sticks – it gives me a solid impact, but with less ‘dead weight’ to sling around.”

Peart had long played just matched grip, however, he decided to shift to traditional as part of his style reinvention in the mid-1990s under the tutelage of jazz coach Freddie Gruber. Shortly after the filming of his first instructional DVD A Work in Progress, Peart went back to using primarily matched, though he does switch back to traditional when playing songs from Test for Echo and during moments when he feels traditional grip is more appropriate, such as the rudimentary snare drum section of his drum solo. He discusses the details of these switches in the DVD Anatomy of a Drum Solo.

Equipment

Neil Peart and his 360 degree drumkit

With Rush, Peart has played Slingerland, Tama, Ludwig, and Drum Workshop drums, in that order.

Historically he has played Zildjian A-series cymbals along with Wuhan china cymbals. In the early 2000s, Peart moved away from Zildjian and Wuhan and began exclusively using Paragon, a line created for him by Sabian. In concert, Peart uses an elaborate 360-degree drum kit, with a large acoustic set in front and electronic drums to the rear.

Neil Peart began incorporating Simmons Electronic Drums beginning with 1984’s Grace Under Pressure

During the late 1970s, Peart augmented his acoustic setup with diverse percussion instruments including orchestra bells, tubular bells, wind chimes, crotales, timbales, timpani, gong, temple blocks, bell tree, triangle, and melodic cowbells. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has replaced several of these pieces with MIDI trigger pads. This was done in order to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area. Some purely electronic non-instrumental sounds are also used. One classic MIDI pad used is the Malletkat Express which is a two-octave electronic MIDI device that resembles a xylophone or piano. The Malletkat Express is composed of rubber pads for the “keys” so that any stick can be used. Beginning with 1984’s Grace Under Pressure, he used Simmons electronic drums in conjunction with Akai digital samplers. Peart has performed several songs primarily using the electronic portion of his drum kit. (e.g. “Red Sector A”, “Closer to the Heart” on A Show of Hands (video) and “Mystic Rhythms” on R30.) Peart’s drum solos also feature sections performed primarily on the electronic portion of his kit.

Shortly after making the choice to include electronic drums and triggers, Peart added what has become another trademark of his kit: his rotating drum riser. During live Rush shows, the automated rotating riser allows Peart to swap dynamically the prominent portions of the kit (“front”, traditional kit; and “back” electronic kit). A staple of Peart’s live drum solos has been the in-performance rotation-and-swap of the front and back kits as part of the solo itself. This special effect simultaneously provides a symbolic transition of drum styles within the solo and provides a visual treat for the audience.

In the early 2000s, Peart began taking full advantage of the advances in electronic drum technology; primarily incorporating Roland V-Drums and continued use of samplers with his existing set of acoustic percussion. Peart’s digitally sampled library of both traditional and exotic sounds has grown over the years with his music.

In April 2006, Neil took delivery of his third DW set, configured similarly to the R30 set, in a Tobacco Sunburst finish over curly maple exterior ply, with chrome hardware. He refers to this set as the “West Coast kit”, as he uses it when in Los Angeles. Besides using it on recent recordings with Vertical Horizon, he played it while composing parts for Rush’s latest studio album, Snakes & Arrows. It features a custom 23″ bass drum; all other sizes remain the same as the R30 kit.

On March 20, 2007 Peart revealed that Drum Workshop prepared a new set of red-painted DW maple shells with black hardware and gold “Snakes & Arrows” logos for Neil to play on the Snakes & Arrows Tour.

Solos

Peart is often regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo. He is known for extensive, intricate drum solos containing odd time signatures, complex arrangements (sometimes total separation between upper and lower limb patterns: e.g. an ostinato dubbed “The Waltz”), and exotic percussion instruments. These solos have been featured on every live album released by the band. On the early live albums (All the World’s a Stage & Exit…Stage Left), the drum solo was included as part of a song. On all subsequent live albums, the drum solo has been included on a separate track. His most recent instructional DVD, Anatomy of a Drum Solo, is an in-depth examination of how he constructs a solo. He uses his solo from the 2004 R30 30th anniversary tour as the basis for examination, along with other lectures and demonstrations on how to construct a drum solo that is musical instead of indulgent.

Lyrics

Peart is also the main lyricist for Rush. Literature has always heavily influenced his writings and, as such, he has tackled a wide range of subjects. In his early days with Rush, much of his lyrical output was influenced by fantasy, science fiction, mythology and philosophy. However, nearly as much would deal with real world or personal issues such as life on the road and parts of his adolescence.

The song “2112″ focuses on the struggle of an individual against the collectivist forces of a totalitarian state. This became the band’s breakthrough release, but also brought unexpected criticism, mainly because of the credit of inspiration Peart gave to Ayn Rand in the liner notes. “There was a remarkable backlash, especially from the English press, this being the late seventies, when collectivism was still in style, especially among journalists,” Peart said. “They were calling us ‘Junior fascists’ and ‘Hitler lovers.’ It was a total shock to me”.

Weary of accusations of fascism or ideological fealty to Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, Peart has sought to remind listeners of his eclecticism and independence in interviews. He did not, however, try to argue in defense of Rand’s views: “For a start, the extent of my influence by the writings of Ayn Rand should not be overstated. I am no one’s disciple.”

The 1980 album Permanent Waves saw Peart cease to use fantasy literature or ancient mythology in his writing. 1981’s Moving Pictures showed that Peart was still interested in heroic, mythological figures, but would now place them firmly in a modern and reality-based context. The song “Limelight” from the same album is an autobiographical account of Peart’s reservations regarding his own popularity and the pressures with fame. From Permanent Waves onward, most of Peart’s lyrics began to revolve around social, emotional, and humanitarian issues, usually from an objective standpoint and employing the use of metaphors and symbolic representation.

1984’s Grace Under Pressure strings together such despondent topics as the Holocaust (“Red Sector A”) and the death of close friends (“Afterimage”). Starting with 1987’s Hold Your Fire and including 1989’s Presto, 1991’s Roll the Bones, and 1993’s Counterparts, Peart would continue to explore diverse lyrical motifs, even addressing the topic of love and relationships (“Open Secrets”, “Ghost of a Chance”, “Speed of Love”, “Cold Fire”) a subject which he purposefully eschewed in the past because of what he perceived as an inherent hackneyed stereotype. However, 2002’s Vapor Trails was heavily devoted to speaking about Peart’s personal issues, combined with other humanitarian topics such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks (“Peaceable Kingdom”). The band’s most recent album Snakes & Arrows deals primarily and vociferously with Peart’s opinions regarding faith and religion.

Opinions of Peart’s lyrics have always been divided. While fans have lauded them as thoughtful and intelligent, some critics have called them over-wrought and bombastic. For example, in 2007, he was voted #2 on Blender magazine’s list of “worst lyricists in rock”.

Political views

Peart has never publicly identified with any political party or organization in Canada or the United States. Even so, his political and philosophical views have often been analyzed through his work with Rush and through other sources. Peart is often categorized as an Objectivist and an admirer of Ayn Rand. Most of this is based on his work with Rush in the 1970s, particularly the song “Anthem” and the album 2112, the latter specifically credited to “the genius of Ayn Rand.” However, in a 1994 interview, while contending the “individual is paramount in matters of justice and liberty,” Peart specifically distanced himself from a strictly Objectivist line, stating he was “no one’s disciple.”

Although Peart is sometimes regarded as a “conservative” and “Republican” rock star, he, in 2005, described himself as a “left-leaning libertarian,” and is often cited as a libertarian celebrity. He also speaks of Fox News Channel being biased towards conservatives and rebuts British accusations that he and Rush are a “right wing” rock band in his book Roadshow: Landscape with Drums: a Concert Tour by Motorcycle. In 2008 Peart described himself as a “quasi-libertarian” and stated that motorcycle helmet laws, which are often opposed by libertarians, “are not an issue at all to me.”

Books

Peart is the author of four non-fiction books, the latest released in September 2006. His growth as an author predates the published work by several years (not including his work as Rush’s primary lyricist), through private letters and short travelogues sent out to a small circle of friends and family. Peart’s first book, titled The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa, was written in 1996 about a month-long bicycling tour through Cameroon in November 1988. The book details Peart’s travels through towns and villages with four fellow riders. The original had a limited print run, but after the critical and commercial success of Peart’s second book, Masked Rider was re-issued and remains in print as of 2006.

After losing his wife and only [at the time] daughter, Peart penned Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. Peart and the rest of the band were always able to keep his private life at a distance from his public image in Rush. However, Ghost Rider is a first-person narrative of Peart on the road, on a BMW R1100GS motorcycle, in an effort to put his life back together as he embarked on an extensive journey across North America.

Deciding to take a road trip, this time by car, Peart reflects on his life, his career, his family and music. This is covered in Peart’s third book Traveling Music: The Soundtrack Of My Life And Times. It follows Peart still carrying emotional scars, but building a new life. As with his previous two books, it is a first person narrative.

Thirty years after Peart joined Rush, the band found itself on its 30th anniversary tour. Released in September 2006, Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour By Motorcycle details the tour both from behind Neil’s drumkit and on his BMW R1150GS and R1200GS motorcycles.

DVDs

Apart from Rush’s video releases as a band, Peart has released two instructional DVDs

A Work in Progress. Miami, Florida: Warner Bros. Publications. 2002. ISBN 0757990290 Originally released on VHS in 1996 and re-released on DVD in 2002.

Anatomy of A Drum Solo S.l.: Hudson Music: Distributed by Hal Leonard. 2005. ISBN 1423407008

Awards and honours

Rush portal

Peart has received the following awards in the Modern Drummer magazine reader’s poll:

Hall of Fame: 1983

Best Rock Drummer*: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008

Best Multi-Percussionist*: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982

Most Promising New Drummer: 1980

Best All Around: 1986

1986 Honor Roll: Rock Drummer, Multi-Percussion

(* – As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, he is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories.)

Best Instructional Video: 2006, for Anatomy of A Drum Solo

Best Drum Recording of the 1980s, 2007, for “YYZ” from Exit…Stage Left

Best Recorded Performance:

1980: Permanent Waves

1981: Moving Pictures

1982: Exit…Stage Left

1983: Signals

1985: Grace Under Pressure

1986: Power Windows

1988: Hold Your Fire

1989: A Show of Hands

1990: Presto

1992: Roll the Bones

1993: Counterparts

1997: Test for Echo

1999: Different Stages

2002: Vapor Trails

2004: R30

2007: Snakes & Arrows

Peart has received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2007:

Drummer of the Year

Best Progressive Rock Drummer

Best Live Performer

Best DVD (Anatomy Of A Drum Solo)

Best Drumming Album (Snakes & Arrows)

Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2008:

Drummer of the Year

Best Progressive Rock Drummer (Runner-Up)

Best Mainstream Pop Drummer (Runner-Up)

Best Live Drumming Performer

Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2009:

Drummer Of The Year

Best Progressive Rock Drummer

Along with his bandmates Lee and Lifeson, Peart was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. The trio was the first rock band to be so honoured, as a group.

Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame along with bandmates Lifeson and Lee

References

^ Anatomy of a Drum Solo DVD, Neil Peart (2005) accompanying booklet. (Republished in Modern Drummer Magazine, April 2006)

^ a b c d e f g Neil Peart Biography Accessed January 18, 2008

^ a b c Olson, Andrew C.”Neil Peart Modern Drummer Awards” – andrewolson.com – Updated 10/1/06 – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ a b c d e f Peart, Neil. with Brian Collins editor “A Port boy’s story” parts 1 & 2 – St. Catharines Standard – (c/o oocities.com) – June 24/25, 1994 – Accessed August 9, 2007

^ Lakeside Park Rush Song Facts Accessed February 15, 2008

^ Neil Peart in London Don Howe Accessed February 19, 2008

^ The National Midnight Star White-Barn.com Accessed February 19, 2008

^ Allmusic guide Review for 2112 Allmusic guide Accessed February 10

^ History of Rush History of Rush Accessed February 2006

^ “Neil Peart Speaks About New Rush Release”. Chart. 2005-11-16. http://www.chartattack.com/news/39903/neil-peart-speaks-about-new-rush-release. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 

^ Neil Peart’s Lyrics Rob Pagano’s website – Neil Peart Mini-Biography Accessed February 22, 2008

^ a b Individual awards list Accessed July 16, 2007

^ Caress of Steel Review Greg Prato, Allmusic Guide Accessed September 20, 2007

^ Allmusic guide Review for 2112 Allmusic guide Accessed February 10, 2008

^ Geddy Lee Announces Neil Peart Rush Frequently Asked Questions Accessed February 19, 2008

^ Current Biography Magazine Power Windows Website Accessed February 19, 2008

^ Neil Peart’s Official Website Neil Peart News Accessed November 6, 2008

^ a b c Peart, Neil (2002). Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. ECW Press. ISBN 1550225464. 

^ MacNaughtan, Andrew. Geddy Lee. and Alex Lifeson. “The Boys in Brazil”, Rush in Rio DVD Bonus Material. New York, New York: Atlantic Recording Corporation/Anthem/Msi Music Corp October 2003. ISBN 6311465272

^ Daniel Catullo Rush. Rush in Rio. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Zo Vision. 2003. OCLC 53877410

^ Jordan, Lawrence. Daniel E Catullo. Rush Rush in Rio. London: Sanctuary Visual Entertainment. 2003. OCLC 84678389

^ Peart, Neil Under the Marine Layer, News, Weather and Sports, June 2009, Accessed July 1, 2009

^ Scaruffi, Piero. “Greatest rock drummers of all times” – scaruffi.com – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ a b Neil Peart page – DrummerWorld – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ “Best drummers in rock” – tribe.net – Thursday, January 12, 2006 – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ “Best Rock Drummers” – the-top-tens.com – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ Peart, Neil. Matthew Wachsman. Paul Siegel. Rob Wallis. Anatomy of a Drum Solo. Hudson Music. Distributed by Hal Leonard. 2005. ISBN 1423407008

^ Peart, Neil. “Neil Peart Speaks With Zildjian” – Zildjian.com – (c/o 2112.net) – January 2003

^ Dome, Malcolm. “Interview with Neil Peart” – Metal Hammer – (c/o 2112.net) – April 25th 1988

^ Peart, Neil. Rush – Counterparts – Rush Backstage Club Newsletter – (c/o 2112.net) – January 1994

^ a b c d e Rush Archives Neil Peart’s Equipment Accessed January 18, 2008

^ Neil Peart Signature Series Cymbals Paragon Accessed February 10, 2008

^ Peart, Neil. “”The Count of Words”" – The N.E.P. News – neilpeart.net – March 20, 2007 – Accessed August 9, 2007

^ Modern Drummer Magazine April 2006 Article “Soloing in the Shadow of Giants”. Modern Drummer Publishing Inc. NJ, USA.

^ Peart, Neil. “Soloing in the Shadow of Giants” – Modern Drummer Magazine – (c/o NeilPeart.net) – April 2006

^ “Pieces of Eight” – Modern Drummer Magazine – (c/o 2112.net) – May 1987 – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ Neil Peart; The Waltz – drummerworld.com – (QuickTime video) – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ “Neil Peart > Credits” – All Media Guide – Accessed July 18, 2007

^ Neil Peart Interview Rush: Off The Record with Mary Turner Accessed February 21, 2008

^ a b Interview with Neil Peart Metal Hammer April 25th 1988 Accessed February 21, 2008

^ Rand, Rush, and Rock Neil Peart Quotes Accessed February 16, 2008

^ Power Windows Website Neil Peart Interview Accessed February 2, 2008

^ Power Windows “Grace Under Pressure”Power Windows Website Accessed February 16, 2008

^ Matt Scannell on Neil Peart Drumhead Accessed February 19, 2008

^ Cohen, Jonathan (2006-09-11). “Rush wrestling with faith on new album”. Billboard Magazine. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003120134. Retrieved 2007-03-10. 

^ “Sting tops list of worst lyricists”. CBC News. October 9, 2007. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/10/09/blender-list-worstlyric.html. Retrieved 2007-10-09. 

^ Rand, Rush and Rock

^ Power windows…Counterparts

^ Republican Rock Stars

^ The Spirit of Rand

^ Neil Peart – Libertarian

^ 5 Biggest Libertarian Musicians

^ a b Peart, Neil (October 25, 2006). Roadshow: Landscape With Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle. Rounder Records. ISBN 1579401422. 

^ NEP News

^ Peart, Neil. The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa. ECW Press. ISBN 1550226673. 

^ Peart, Neil (September 28, 2004). Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times. ECW Press. ISBN 1550226649. 

^ Awards List Rush Awards list Accessed August 2, 2007

^ DRUM! Magazine Awards Blabbermouth.net Accessed January 1, 2008

^ DRUM! Magazine Awards Big Drum Thump Accessed July 2, 2008

^ DRUM! Magazine Awards Drummies Accessed July 13, 2009

^ “RUSH highlights”, MapleMusic – Accessed May 23, 2007

^ “Rush to be among inductees to songwriters hall of fame”. CTV. January 19, 2010. http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100119/rush_100119/20100119/?hub=TorontoNewHome. Retrieved January 20, 2010. 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Neil Peart

The Official Neil Peart website

Official Rush Web site

Power Windows tour drumkit assembly

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Rush

Geddy Lee  Alex Lifeson  Neil Peart

John Rutsey  Jeff Jones

Studio albums

Rush  Fly by Night  Caress of Steel  2112  A Farewell to Kings  Hemispheres  Permanent Waves  Moving Pictures  Signals  Grace Under Pressure  Power Windows  Hold Your Fire  Presto  Roll the Bones  Counterparts  Test for Echo  Vapor Trails  Feedback  Snakes & Arrows

Live albums

All the World’s a Stage  Exit…Stage Left  Grace Under Pressure Tour  A Show of Hands  Different Stages  Rush in Rio  R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour   Snakes & Arrows Live

Live videos

Exit…Stage Left  Grace Under Pressure Tour  A Show of Hands  Rush in Rio  R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour  Rush Replay X 3  Snakes & Arrows Live

Album compilations

Rush Through Time  Archives  Chronicles  Retrospective I  Retrospective II  The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987  Gold  Retrospective 3   Working Men

Video compilations

Through the Camera Eye  Chronicles

Tours

Roll the Bones Tour   Counterparts Tour   Test for Echo Tour   Vapor Trails Tour   R30: 30th Anniversary Tour   Snakes & Arrows Tour

Related articles

Discography  Awards  History  Instrumentals  Equipment  Victor  My Favorite Headache  A Work in Progress  Anatomy of a Drum Solo  Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road  “Fear” series  Cygnus X-1 duology  Hugh Syme  The Fifth Order of Angels

The Rush portal

Persondata

NAME

Peart, Neil

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Peart, Neil Ellwood

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Canadian drummer , lyricist, and author

DATE OF BIRTH

September 12, 1952

PLACE OF BIRTH

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

DATE OF DEATH

PLACE OF DEATH

Categories: 1952 births | Canadian rock drummers | Canadian songwriters | Living people | Officers of the Order of Canada | People from Los Angeles, California | People from St. Catharines | Progressive rock musicians | Rush (band) members | Musicians from Toronto | Canadian memoirists | Canadian libertarians | Left-libertarians | Long-distance riding

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Decorated evergreen trees are a beloved symbol of the Christian holiday of Christmas.  However, history tells us that conifer trees were worshipped by various societies long before Christians caught on to the idea.

Ancient Egyptians were one of the first known civilizations to treasure the conifer.  When the winter solstice arrived, the Egyptians used to move green date palm leaves inside to symbolize life over death.  When Romans celebrated their winter solstice festival, Saturnalia, they decorated their homes with greenery and lights as a way of giving thanks for a good season and praying for another upcoming season of plenty.  It is also said that the Druids used evergreens in their winter solstice rituals.  They positioned evergreen branches over doors to ward off evil spirits and prevent them from entering their homes.

The evergreen tree’s association with Christianity dates back about 500 years ago to the early 16th century.  As the story goes, St. Boniface was traveling through the woods of what is today northern Germany, when he came across a group of pagans that were worshipping an oak tree.  St. Boniface was so angered by this that he cut the oak tree down.  It is said that in the oak tree’s place, a conifer tree grew almost immediately.  In amazement, St. Bonifice declared that this was a divine symbol of the Christian faith, and from that time forward, conifer trees began to be associated with Christianity.  Eventually, German people began to bring coniferous trees indoors at Christmastime and decorate them with candles to celebrate the holiday.

When Prince Albert of Germany married Queen Victoria of England, he brought his German tradition of the Christmas tree to England.  The first year he was in England, he obtained a fir tree and had it decorated for his family.  The people of England were so impressed by this, that the idea caught on rapidly, and soon everyone in England wanted their own “Christmas tree” in their homes.

This custom slowly spread to the new world.  Originally, the Puritans who founded our country banned Christmas worldly celebrations.  In 1851, a Cleveland minister allowed a Christmas tree in his church and nearly lost his job because of it.  During that same year, the tradition became part of the free market economy when a farmer named Mark Carr harvested and hauled two sleds of evergreen trees to New York City.  In spite of the Puritans’ early resistance to the tradition, the idea of Christmas trees flourished in the United States.  By 1900, one in five American homes had a Christmas tree.  Christmas tree farms sprang up and farmers could barley meet the demand.

In 1890, a man by the name of F.W. Woolworth introduced to the United States the idea of decorating a tree with glass ornaments.  Blown glass ornaments had long been a tradition in Europe.  From 1870 to the 1930s, Germans made the finest glass ornaments of that time.  German glass blowers were reported to have had nearly 5,000 different molds for variations and different styles of Christmas ornaments.  At the turn of the century, there were over one hundred small glass blowing shops in Europe that were all producing Christmas ornaments.  Today there are only two German glass-blowing factories that are capable of producing the precision required for popular ornament collections such as Christopher Radko.

The popularity of the Christmas tree continues to grow.  The National Christmas Tree Association reports that in 2006, over 28 million live Christmas trees were sold in the United States.  The use of an evergreen tree has become such a traditional symbol of the holiday season that it sometimes transcends religious boundaries.  Today, many non-Christians choose to display decorated evergreen tree in their homes during the month of December.  Today, artificial Christmas trees have also become a popular choice for many families, which has even spawned a debate over which is better: real versus artificial.  Whatever your choice, decorate it well and enjoy it; you are taking part in a tradition that dates back hundreds of years.

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Once Thanksgiving is over and winter approaches, people’s attention turns to Christmas and decorating for the holiday season. This particular activity is one of the first signals to herald the thrill and excitement of the season.

There are those who find the holiday season to be kind of stressful. With Christmas cards to mail and holiday goodies to bake, many people find that there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them. In addition, finding and wrapping the perfect Christmas gifts for each person on their list and mailing gifts to far away family and friends can add to the feeling of overload for many people during this busy season.

Frequently, taking time to enjoy Christmas holiday decorations is one of the easiest methods of helping to ease the stress. Driving around the neighborhood to view light displays can quickly become a tradition in your family. Take along some hot cocoa or hot apple cider to sip while singing Christmas carols. With a few snowflakes to add to the mood, the stressful feelings will melt away and in their place will be joyful anticipation of the upcoming holidays.

Utilizing Christmas holiday decorations and lighting to adorn your Christmas tree and your home’s interior and exterior, it is possible to create similar feelings at home. The assortment of holiday decorations is nearly unfathomable these days. There are decorations and ornaments in many different themes to fit the style or hobby of any person. There are many options for Christmas lights too, so go out and find what creates a special feeling for your home.

There are many different options for Christmas decorations and they can be found almost everywhere. Grocery stores even carry lights and decorations during the holidays. Cheerful holiday decorations can help your family truly enjoy the whole Christmas season.

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The benefits of a real Christmas tree are obvious; they smell good and look stunning when decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. However if they have a tendency to shed their needles they can create a lot of mess and are not always the practical option if you have young children in the house.

Artificial Christmas trees offer an alternative way to enjoy Christmas, invest in a good quality tree and it is guaranteed to last you for years. Simple to assemble in a few minutes, it can easily be stored away again after the partying is over. No watering, no pine needles in the carpet and think of the money you will save in the long term! There are some really stunning designs available these days and many of them are so life-like no-one will even realize they are artificial.

Many artificial trees are now made from flame-retardant materials offering the ultimate safety for your family. Available in all shapes and sizes they can be purchased as a table top decoration with LED lights already fitted, or a real-life full size tree can be admired where all visitors can see it.

If you don’t want any more hassle in an already busy life, then an artificial tree is just for you. There are some luxuriously realistic artificial Christmas trees modelled on real trees that capture the color and needle structure, as well as the branch and tree shape.

Get rid, once and for all, of the annoyance and mess that goes along with getting a real tree for Christmas. An artificial Christmas tree is lightweight, very simple to set-up, and will look perfect not only for the Christmas period but for many years to come.

Lots of families enjoy <decorating the Christmas tree together and it is a special event every year. Some will splash out and change the theme of the tree every year with colour coordinated baubles and tinsel, whilst others will ask the younger members of the family to bake salt dough ornaments and dress up their favourite doll for the role of the angel on top of the tree. There are all kinds of arrangements of lights and ornaments for Christmas trees available these days, lights can be found in the shapes of sleighs, Santa Claus, snowmen, elves and angels. Take a few hours to look online, even if just for inspiration, and you will soon get some good ideas.

Christmas trees and decorations, such as handmade wreaths are a great idea to send as a gift at this festive time. Often it can be difficult to think of a suitable present for an elderly relative, a good neighbor or a close friend. Consider giving them festive gifts as a present, both attractive and practical gifts they make the perfect novel present for all kinds of people.

A handmade Christmas wreath makes a great decoration in any home and is a stylish addition to the Christmas family dinner. Wreaths of very high quality can be found online, look for creative designs using fresh Nordman fir foliage and decorated with colourful berries, pine cones and dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, dried pumpkins and dried chillies for a real unique gift idea.

The internet is a great place to find some Christmas bargains, including artificial Christmas trees, Christmas tree lights and handmade Christmas wreaths. Do all your shopping from the comfort of your armchair this year, avoid the mad rush of the shops, the traffic, and the stress of finding a parking space. There are hundreds of websites online with treasures to find and competitive prices.

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A Real Christmas Tree is the Natural Choice

Each holiday season, shoppers find themselves confronted with a difficult choice: celebrate with a real or plastic tree. What most people don’t realize is that the best choice has always been the traditional and natural choice, a real Christmas tree.

Real Christmas trees are a benefit to the environment from the time they are planted until after the holiday season when they can be recycled.

While they’re growing, real Christmas trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases and emitting fresh oxygen. This helps prevent the earth-warming greenhouse effect.

Every acre of Christmas trees grown produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. In the United States there are approximately 1 million acres of growing Christmas trees; that means that 18 million people a day are supplied with oxygen thanks to Christmas trees.

The farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that doesn’t support other crops.

Artificial trees are a petroleum based product that consume vast resources during fabrication. A burden to the environment, artificial trees aren’t biodegradable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal. The average life span of an artificial tree is only six years.

Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, are easily reused and recycled.

Christmas trees are biodegradable – the trunk and branches can be used as mulch for gardens, parks or in animal stalls. The mulch provides a protect barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need to thrive. Mulching programs are a fast-growing trend in communities throughout the nation. Check with your local department of public works for information. Some communities use Christmas trees to make effective sand and soil erosion barriers, especially at beaches and on river beds. Sunk into private fish ponds trees make excellent refuge and feeding area for fish. Before recycling, Christmas trees can be used to make bird feeders, adding color and excitement to the winter garden. Utilize orange slices, suet, and seed to attract the birds. They will come for the food and stay for the shelter in the branches.

The practice of using a living tree to celebrate the holidays is gaining in popularity. Living trees have their roots in tact and can be re-planted outside following the holiday.

WHICH TREE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Balsam Fir

As a Christmas tree, balsam fir has several desirable properties. It has a dark-green appearance, long-lasting needles, and attractive form. It also retains its pleasing fragrance.

Douglas-Fir

The needles are dark green or blue green, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, soft to the touch and radiate out in all directions from the branch. They have a sweet fragrance when crushed. Nationally, it remains one of the most popular Christmas tree species.

Scotch Pine

Scotch Pine is an introduced species which has been widely planted for the

purpose of producing Christmas trees. As a Christmas tree, it is known or its dark green foliage and stiff branches that are well suited for decorating with both light and heavy ornaments. It has excellent needle retention characteristics and holds up well.

Norway Spruce

For Christmas trees, overall color of Norway spruce is fair to excellent, but needle retention is considered poor unless the trees are cut fresh and kept properly watered. It

is readily identified by its dark green needles and drooping branchlets. Trees have dark green crown with a triangular shape. Needles are 1/2-1 inch long, and sharp or somewhat blunt at the tip.

White Pine

For Christmas trees, sheared trees are preferred, although some people feel shearing results in trees too dense for larger ornaments. Needle retention is good to excellent. White Pine has very little aroma, but, conversely, is reported to result in fewer allergic reactions than do some of the more aromatic species.

Fraser Fir

The combination of form, needle retention, dark blue-green color, pleasant scent and excellent shipping characteristics has led to Fraser fir being a most popular Christmas tree species. Fraser fir is a uniformly pyramid-shaped tree. Needles are 1/2 to one inch long, have a broad circular base, and are usually dark green on the upper surface and lighter on the lower surface.

Blue Spruce  

White Fir

As a Christmas tree, white fir has good foliage color, a pleasing natural shape and aroma, and good needle retention. Needles are usually 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch long, pointed or notched

at the tip, bluish-green when young turning dull green with  age.

TREE CARE TIPS

In selecting a tree, make sure that the “handle” at the bottom is long enough to allow the trunk to fit into you tree stand. Otherwise, it will be necessary to remove large branches near the base, which could ruin its appearance.

Make a fresh cut to remove a 1/4″ to 1″ thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Don’t cut the trunk at an angle, or into a v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to hold the tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree. If you use a “center pin” stand, make sure the hole is drilled in the stem after it is trimmed

Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6-8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. Don’t bruise the cut surface or get it dirty. Trees can be temporarily stored for several days in a cool location. Place the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that is kept full of water.

Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed. Keep trees away from sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.

DID YOU KNOW?

Over half of a Christmas tree’s weight is water. So, be sure to give it lots to drink during the holiday season. Try to maintain one quart of water per inch of stem diameter in your tree stand – any temperature is fine – and check to be sure that the water is in contact with the stem.

Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does not improve water uptake.

Applying film-forming anti-transpirants to the tree does not have a significant effect on the rate of moisture loss from the tree. These products supposedly block the evaporation of water from the surface of foliage, but in reality they have little effect.

Adding water-holding gels to the stand can actually reduce the amount of water in the stand that is available to the tree.

Do not use additives in the water, including floral preservatives, commercial tree preservatives, molasses, sugar, bleach, soft drinks, aspirin, honey, and other concoctions. Clean water is all that is needed to maintain freshness.

Use of miniature lights will produce much less heat and reduce drying of the tree.

Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set.

Do not overload electrical circuits.

Always turn off the lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.

After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house. Go to www.realchristmastrees.org and type in your zip code to find a recycling program near you.

Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove of fireplace.

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Our Favorite Favors: Terrific Tabletop Freebies for Your Guests

Sugared almonds are no longer such a sweet treat and personalized matchbooks long ago lost their flare. Today’s couples are opting for more inventive, one-of-a-kind items to place near guests’ place cards. If you’re looking for fun and alternative favor options, look no further- we’ve compiled a list of the top twenty!

1. Edible menus: with a dark chocolate background and white chocolate lettering, this delicious bill of fare is sure to delight.

2. A “candy bar”: another tasty option is to set up a candy bar at the reception. Fill glasses with jelly beans, chocolates, caramels, and lollipops and let guests load their goody bags.

3. Potted plants: who needs a floral centerpiece when the favors serve as setting enough? Herbs like basil and thyme are terrific, as are flowers like African violets or miniature roses.

4. Christmas ornaments: if you plan to wed this winter, add to your guests’ tree adornment with this adorable token.

5. Bottles of bubbly: many websites, like favorlabel.com and myownlabels.com, now give couples the opportunity to personalize bottles of beer, wine, and champagne. Sparkling cider and root beer make great gift alternatives for guests under 21.

6. Homemade treats: cookies, cupcakes, jams, and jellies are all excellent endowments. Attach your family’s recipe for added enjoyment.

7. Photo coasters: guests can preserve their wedding memories, or other fun photos, in clear glass coasters.

8. Water bottles: wet your guests’ whistles with personalized or monogrammed water bottles.

9. Honey pots: straight from the hive, party goers will delight in these bee-utiful bottles of sugary goodness.

10. Olive oil: add a little spice by pairing a small bottle of oil with a tasty jarred herb.

11. Music from the heart: compile a CD of romantic songs (particularly ones that you’ve requested be played at the reception) for your guests’ listening pleasure.

12. Miniature frames: small picture frames can double as escort card holders, and they can hold party goers’ memories long after the party is over.

13. Fortune cookies: these neat treats can be dipped in chocolate or fruity flavors and hold any clever message you’d like.

14. Scented candles: light the night with fragrance and romance.

15. Playing cards: odds are, guests will have tons of fun with these personalized party favors.

16. Program fans: keep your guests cool during the ceremony and afterward by attaching your wedding program to a pretty fabric or wicker fan.

17. Tea time: treat guests to your favorite type of tea by presenting them with small bags to enjoy.

18. Cookie cutters: carved into cute shapes like hearts or lips, these favors will be a real party pleaser.

19. Special scrapbooks: bestow these blank books to guests, but add a personalized thank-you note on the last page.

20. A delightful donation: if you’re opting to donate to a charity in lieu of wedding favors, why not give your guests a small token to remind them of how they can contribute as well? If your donation has gone to the ASPCA, PETA, or another animal organization, attach a dog biscuit (real or in cookie shape). Or if breast cancer awareness is your cause, tie a pink ribbon to a card with your charity’s website information.

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