The menorah, a type of candelabrum, is considered to be the symbol of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. History tells us that the very first menorahs made for the first temple had seven branches. Menorahs seen today have fewer or more branches, because it is believed that the original menorah is sacred and should never be copied exactly. In fact, what we commonly call a “menorah” today is actually a “hanukiah.” Most hanukiahs today are nine-branched candelabrums with space for eight candles (one for each night of Hanukkah) and a ninth holder for the shamash, or the candle that lights the others.
Each year around one hundred seventy-five thousand Christmas trees are sold online, or by catalog. When I first heard of mail order Christmas trees, I thought “why on earth would I want to purchase a tree online?”. But after a few days it made perfect sense. What is the one thing almost everyone does not have enough of during Christmastime? Other than money, the next answer is time. When I considered how long it takes to order a tree online versus buying one from a lot or tree farm, mail order Christmas trees made perfect sense.
One of the most sought after Christmas trees every year is the beautiful Fraser Fir, but have you ever wondered where they come from? The best Fraser Firs are grown in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Each year North Carolina tree growers will produce over fifty million fraser firs. The Fraser fir can grow as high as eighty feet and reach a trunk diameter of one and one half feet. These beautiful trees grow naturally only in the southern Appalachian mountains above three thousand feet. The Climate of the North Carolina mountains is ideal for producing Fraser firs. The abundant rainfall coupled with cool ambient temperatures are responsible for giving the Fraser Fir its ability to keep its needles long into the Christmas season.
