Until they are mature enough, a forest of beautiful evergreens sits and waits.
Spring comes and goes, then summer.
Finally, autumn arrives and the trees are marked for harvesting.
Lumberjacks will be back in a few months to cut them down as Christmas trees. This is the life of about 25 percent of the nation's evergreen trees. But what's in a tree?
Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.
Mr. Trikeiney of Price Plant Nursery on Chestnut Street believes most people would agree that the aroma of the live trees are what makes them so popular. "You can smell the trees out here, but it's nothing like bringing them inside and closing the door. The scent seems to fill the whole house."
Spencer Roberts, a college student from Swansea, couldn't agree more. "There's nothing like going home to my Grandma's house and smelling her pies and the Christmas tree as soon as you open the door."
A costumer purchasing a tree from Orangeburg Lowe's also agrees. "Live trees make your house smell like Christmas. I like the firs because they're the most fragrant."
Firs were once the most popular Christmas trees used. They can be found throughout history. The fir tree has a long association with Christianity. There are several types of firs. Balsam firs, Fraser firs and Douglas firs can be found at Lowe's in Orangeburg.
"Fraser firs are the most liked in this area," Trikeiney said. "And that's the only thing we carry. They come from Virginia. Mr. Price grows them himself, then brings them down here."
Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape than wild ones. 32.8 million trees were purchased in 2005, which averages to $1.374 million.
Eight species of evergreens account for nearly 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine makes up about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir, which accounts for about 35 percent. Noble fir, white pine, Balsam fir, white spruce, Fraser fir and Virginia pine are the next big sellers. You can find cedar and pine trees at stores around Orangeburg.
According to Trikeiney, when it comes to picking out Christmas trees, costumers normally choose the tree that feels right for them, instead of asking for specifics. "Usually [people] just come out and just browse the trees and look. It seems like it's only one tree that's right for them. I may not like the tree but it's right for them."
Live Christmas trees are not as popular now as they once were. People choose to avoid having to buy a new tree every year by getting an a.jpgicial one. This also cuts down on the mess live trees can cause.
"No live tree for me," a St. Matthews man said. "Too much to clean up."
"I haven't bought a Christmas tree in years, but I've never bought a live tree. Fake ones are faster to put up and take down," laughs Eve Kingspea.
No matter whether it's alive or artificial, nothing seems to say Christmas quite like a Christmas tree.
Perhaps the old carol explains it all. "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree /You are the tree most loved! /How often you give us delight /In brightly shining Christmas light! /O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree /You are the tree most loved!"
Find out more Christmas Tree facts at http://christmasspirit.wordpress.com.