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COLUMBIA, MO. -- It’s that time of year when Christmas tree lots start popping up all across Mid-Missouri.

Volunteers with Columbia’s Downtown Optimist Club have been selling Christmas trees since 1936 to help area youth.

Club members have everything from 5 foot scotch pines to 10 foot balsam firs.  Volunteer Jim Dyer said he can help you find the perfect Christmas tree.

Dyer said, “The noble firs are very good trees.  They’re going to fall down real nice when they get inside and warm up a little bit.  The needles are going to last a long time.  These are what I had when I was growing up.  That’s what I kind of like.”

Choosing the perfect Christmas tree can be complicated these days.  There is a wide variety to choose from including fraser fir, fraser balsam cross, balsam fir, noble fir, concolor fir and, of course, the ever popular scotch pine.  Finding the perfect Christmas tree can be a tough task with so many trees to choose from.  Even though every tree is different, each tree is the perfect tree to someone.

Chris Casey and her granddaughter Lydia found the tree of their dreams after searching for about an hour.

Casey said, “It can’t be too tall.  That’s my husband’s rule because we don’t have tall ceilings.  I like them big and full and just tall enough to fit in my house.  That’s the perfect tree for me.”

Some people, like Emily Price, want a skinny tree with plenty of branches.

Price said, “It has to be not too wide.  It has to be full, pretty much all around.  I don’t want a lot of big, empty spaces.”

Once you find your perfect Christmas tree, make sure you give it a lot of water when you get home.

Members of the Columbia Downtown Optimist Club use the money from their tree sales to help area youth groups throughout the year.