DUBLIN, Ga. — There's still time to spruce up your home with holiday flare. Traditionally, most people will shop for a Christmas tree, so if you plan on buying one, farmers suggest purchasing a live tree.
Jeff Riner owns and operates Southern Cypress Christmas Tree Farm in Dublin, with the help of his wife and two daughters. He says each year they welcome hundreds of families to their property.
"We open the weekend before Thanksgiving and we sell them up till Christmas Eve if we have to," Riner said. "You cannot buy this experience at the store."
According to the American Christmas Tree Association, 78% of people said they were going to display a fake Christmas tree, citing reasons such as convenience and re-usability.
Riner said buying a real tree makes for a priceless experience.
"We give them a candy cane and a saw and you pick out your own Christmas tree and you cut it down and when you come around, we process the tree for you," he said. "We shake it, we wrap it and we put it in your vehicle for you to take home."
He said there isn't a right or wrong method to choosing the perfect one.
"Everybody's different," Riner said. "Some want fat ones, some want skinny ones, some want full ones, some want not so full; it's just whatever somebody likes, we try to have all of that.
Once the tree is cut, to keep it fresh the National Christmas Tree Association recommends buying a tree stand that fits firmly around the trunk of the tree and adding a quart of water for every inch of the trunk.
To serve customers for years to come, Riner said he and his family spend the year re-planting and harvesting the fields, adding the trees have a short life expectancy, so while they can't be re-used each year, they can be recycled.