My First Hybrid Christmas Tree -

“O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum
How lovely are thy branches!”

Have you ever heard of a hybrid Christmas tree? Neither had I! Ross Family Christmas Tree Lot in Royse City (about 25 minutes east of Dallas) caught my eye during Halloween (the family also own Pitchfork Pumpkin Patch) and I liked their Facebook page for updates. Last weekend, I could not believe my eyes when I saw the first photos of their trees; they all seemed to be the perfect Christmas tree shape. I immediately showed the photos to my parents and we headed out the next morning right at opening to scope out the lot.

Balsam Fraser Hybrid Christmas Trees | Ross Family Christmas Tree Lot

Finding a perfect Christmas tree is like a sport to us Watsons. I’ve had a real tree every year of my life. Even in my college apartment, I’d go get myself a little 5′ tree and throw it in the backseat of my car. Now that I live so close to my parents, we go together and get two trees for their house (for the family room and living room) and one for mine. I typically go for a Concolor Fir (the needles smell like oranges and are so soft!) and for several years I bought Nordmann Christmas trees, which I loved, but they are harder to find here in Texas.

One thing that caught my eye about Ross Family Christmas Tree Lot is that they, through sheer luck (or perhaps fate?), ended up with Balsam/Fraser Fir hybrid Christmas trees from Canada this year and they’re the prettiest damn trees I think I’ve ever seen. I did some research and apparently these hybrids have the beloved fragrance of a Balsam Fir with the needle retention of a Fraser Fir. Sign me up for that!

All of the trees at Ross Family Christmas Tree Lot were in water, a great sign, and were out in stands so you could actually see them. (How frustrating is it when you go tree shopping only to find that most of them are wrapped up?) And what a pretty sight it was. These trees all have the most perfect classic Christmas tree shape. It’s like walking through a Hallmark movie!

There’s a wide range of sizes available. We commented that a few trees were nearly tall enough to go in a mall! I turned around and there she was: my tree. Clearly my tree. I knew it the moment I saw her. I also grabbed a cute sled ornament (only $4.95!) inside while paying for her.

Ross Family Christmas Tree Lot has a delightful poinsettia photo wall, twinkling string lights hung over the lot, and a mailbox for Letters to Santa.

I let my Christmas tree hang out in a bucket outside for a few days (as I always do to let the branches relax and let the tree guzzle water). Yesterday I turned on some Christmas music and trimmed the tree, my first Canadian Christmas tree! Here she is, in all her glory: