November 23, 2024 • 27 mins
With only a few days away from the holidays.... Dean talks about the many ways of getting ahead of the holidays. Dean talks about bringing evergreen trees into homes and their traditions and mentions that Christmas trees are agricultural product as they are harvested and used in yule time celebrations. Dean also talks about how many Americans set up their trees before Thanksgiving, the differences between real and artificial trees. Dean talks about the three biggest tree decisions: Fragrances vs Endurance, Fuller or Thinner branches, & the core of trees, the different types of trees.
Lastly, he talks about drying and moist Christmas trees and the importance of having a game plan.
Lastly, he talks about drying and moist Christmas trees and the importance of having a game plan.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio appf I
AM six forty live streaming an HD everywhere on the
iHeart Radio app. Welcome Home. I am Dean Sharp, the
(00:21):
House Whisper. I design custom homes, I build custom homes,
and right now I am your guide to better understanding
that place where you live. Today, on the show, we're
gonna talk about getting ahead of the holidays. We don't
have much time to get ahead of them because the
holidays are here Thursday, Thanksgiving rolling up. This is the
(00:43):
weekend before Thanksgiving, and then you know we are in it.
Everybody is in it. So I'm gonna give you some
interesting bits of advice and we'll talk about some products
out there that might change the way you do the
holidays this year. It's not too late at all to
get caught up and move ahead on that. And of
course your calls love to talk to you about whatever
(01:07):
is going on with your home today, whatever's got you
scratching your head thinking, I don't know what to do
with this, Give me a call. How about you and
I we sit down and we figure it out together.
The number to reach me eight three three two. Ask
Dean A three to three the numeral two. Ask Dean,
here we go again, eight three three two, Ask Dean,
(01:30):
there you go. Phone lines are open right now. Producer
Richie standing by. He'll pick up your call, tell you
everything you need to know, pop you into the queue,
and who knows you and I we could work it
out and I would love to take as many calls
as possible today. So let's get on it. Let's get
on it. I know it's six in the morning. I
get it, I get it. But you know that's never
(01:50):
stopped you before. So let's move forward. Let me introduce
our awesome team. Sam of course is on the board.
Good morning, Good morning Dean. How you doing. I am
it's been a week, it's been a week, but I'm good.
I'm good. I'm very very grateful this week Sam of
(02:11):
course wrangling our live studio audience maybe are not quite
so live studio audience. That reminds me though, tomorrow we're
going to have a fully legit live studio audience right
here at iHeart Studios, because tomorrow is the holiday home Show,
which we are super thrilled with a bunch of you
(02:31):
are going to be joining me here and we're gonna
have a great time. Do not miss that show. Lots
of fun and surprises along the way. Like I said,
producer Richie standing by, take your calls nowhere near Mike
right now. I lean Gonzalez. I am can't even tell
you how grateful I am to hear you on the
radio today.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Good morning, Dean. I'm grateful to be here with.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
You, so good to have you, so good to have
you sitting across the table from me. Oh, talk about gratitude.
My better half, absolutely, my design partner, the co founder
of House Whisper. That's her spirit animal right there. My
best friend in all the world, Tina is here.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Welcome home. Hey you, Yeah, glad to be home.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
You've had a week.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I've had a week.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I want to tell everybody real quick kind of what's
been going on.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, I had a surgery.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It was kind of unexpected, kind of yeah, but I'm
good and I'm back home and just now need to recover.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So sadly I won't be at the live event tomorrow.
Just don't have I'm not walking that fast yet.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
We're gonna pipe you in somehow.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yeah, but well we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
But I am so glad that you are here right now.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yes, I am glad to.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You are my Christmas present.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh I love you babe.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
All right, y'all. Yeah, it's been a week. It has
been a week. But you know what, we got the
holidays coming, and we're going to dive in head first
when we come back with getting ahead of you know
what I want to do when we come back. I
want to talk about Christmas trees because you're going to
be making some decisions this year. This week, many of
(04:16):
you about a Christmas tree. Let's have a discussion about
getting you on the inside, the inside scoop on what's
going on with Christmas trees, especially if you're going to
buy a living tree and or I should say, a
real tree. They're all real. Some grew and some were manufactured,
but they're all real. They're not illusions. But Christmas trees.
(04:40):
That's the weirdest, most wonderful thing that we do to
our home every year. We'll talk about it. Spoop sharp
the house with for Hey, whether your home is a
condo or a cottage or a castle, I am here
to help you take it to the next level. That's
what we are all about here. It is a sleepy
cloud dark, cold, cool at least Saturday morning here in
(05:06):
southern California. And I am glad you are with me.
I'm glad we are here, sitting here talking about your
home together. We're gonna also be going to the phones.
I would love to take some calls today. It's up
to you, though, It's totally up to you. I'll just
keep yacking unless you give me a call. The phone
lines are open, and the number to reach me eight
(05:28):
three to three. Two. Ask Dean, eight three to three,
the numeral two, ask Dean. It's just early. Yeah, we've
got a couple of calls on the board. I'd love
to have more, though. All right, let's talk about getting
ahead of the holidays. What did I say. I was
gonna say, Oh, yeah, Christmas trees. Christmas trees are well,
(05:52):
you know, dragging a tree into your house. I don't
know if you knew. This not a normal thing, not
not something we do every week, every month, but it
is something that we do quite often every year. Right,
Bringing evergreen branches and logs into homes is a midwinter
(06:13):
tradition much much older than Christmas. I'm using my air
quotes here Christmas the name of that particular holiday celebration.
It's older than Christmas itself. Evergreen trees have been symbols
of hope and life through the darkest, coldest days of
(06:34):
winter for thousands upon thousands of years. And there are
some reasons why I think it's a really really special tradition.
I mean, it really is. I'm gonna have more to
say about this on tomorrow's Holiday show, but it is
just a really special tradition. Also a tradition that nobody needs,
(06:56):
in my opinion, to feel guilty about in terms of like, oh,
you're just cutting down the forests of the world. No, no, no,
for quite a while now, for quite a long, long while. Now,
Christmas trees that you go and get it a Christmas
tree lot, they are an agricultural product. Are you aware
of that? I just want to make you aware. Christmas
(07:16):
trees are an agricultural product. It means that the tree
that you bought is really no different than you know,
except for the price, than you know buying lettuce or carrots,
because they are grown on a tree farm specifically for
the purpose of being harvested and being used in Yule
(07:36):
Tide celebrations. And so we are not clear cutting forests,
old growth forests in order to bring your Christmas tree
to you. They are simply grown on a farm, and
that's a good thing as well. In fact, the argument
can be made and is made, and I will I'll
give you some facts on this in just a second
(07:56):
that you know that it's a good thing that it
It helps, it helps carbon capture, it helps all the
things that good agriculture is capable of doing. Christmas trees remain,
i think, still the centerpiece of the holiday season. You
might think that an increasingly secular and multicultural America, the
(08:19):
Christmas tree would be fading in popularity, but reality is
just the opposite. Christmas trees are going to be found
this year, and roughly, if we hold true to current statistics,
are going to be found in over seventy two percent
of American households of every ethnicity, both religious and non
(08:40):
religious alike. It is a tradition which transcends boundaries. That's
one of the reasons I love it so much. Perhaps
because a tree enables it to speak, and just the
fact that it is a tree enables it to speak
to all of us. Trees do on a deeper more
(09:02):
universally human level than just one particular religious story of
this time of year or another. Whatever the source of
its magic, the Christmas Tree in America has grown to
become a kind of I don't know, I think a scaffolding.
You call it that, for expressing our most cherished ideals,
(09:22):
celebrating our most beloved relationships, and doing it I think
most importantly in the darkest of days. Se fun facts
on the Christmas Tree one hundred let's see that, where's
my nose? Ere twenty one million real trees and about
thirteen million artificial trees are going to be purchased by
(09:44):
US households this Christmas season. There are one hundred and
thirty ish million households in the US. It's estimated this
year ninety four million of them will display a Christmas tree.
That is a Christmas tree. Like I said in well,
you know the three quarters of the households. Seventy nine
percent of people who decorate for the holidays agree that
(10:08):
the earlier they decorate for Christmas, the more holiday spirit
they experienced. Fifty five percent of households have now already
decorated before Thanksgiving. And the guess what I'm raising my hand.
I mean, don't be ashamed of me. If you're one
of those you shouldn't decorate until after Thanksgiving. Well, listen,
(10:32):
Tina had surgery this week. We wanted to get some
things out of the way first, and so now we
don't have our tree up, but we did the rest
of the decorating around the house, the major you know,
the lights on the house and so on and so forth.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
We actually have lots of trees up. They're just not real.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Oh that's true. There's a tree on the front porch,
there's a tree in the backyard. There's a tree. How
many trees do we have.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We have a tree in the garden room, a tree
in the guest house.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
So I think four four up currently right now.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Those are artificial trees, Yeah, artificial decorative fun outdoor.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
But the real tree is coming. The real tree is
on its way, very excitedly. That's always the centerpiece of stuff. Christmas.
Trees are roughly a two billion dollar industry in the US.
That's split about fifty to fifty I think, let me
check this little yep, about fifty to fifty between real
(11:31):
and artificial trees. Real trees are grown on over fifteen
thousand farms covering three hundred and fifty thousand acres in
the United States and employing an industry of over one
hundred thousand people. And according to independent environmental impact studies,
here's here you go. An artificial tree needs to be
(11:55):
used for at least nine to ten years before it
becomes more environmentally friendly than having eight years of real trees,
because you know, on artificial trees manufactured and a carbon offset,
all of that kind of stuff, shipping and all of that.
(12:15):
Real trees, by the way, they are as safe as
artificial trees. Here's the truth. Point zero zero one percent.
Point zero zero one percent of real Christmas trees catch
fire every year these days. That's about two hundred trees
for every twenty million trees sold. So there you go.
(12:38):
There's your stats on your Christmas trees. Now, when we
come back, let's talk about the biggest tree decisions and
whether you're even aware of how you're making that decision
and how it's going to affect the vibe of the
tree inside your house. There are two big tree decisions
to make. We'll discuss them. You're listening to Home with
(13:02):
Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty can't
bye AM six forty live streaming and HD everywhere on
the iHeart Radio app. Dean Sharp the House whisper here
for you this morning. We're talking about getting ahead of
the holidays because they're here. I mean we are ahead
(13:23):
of them technically right now, just by what a few days,
because Thursday is Thanksgiving, and then after that you're not
ahead of them, you're in them. So and I'm specifically
right now at least we're talking about Christmas trees now.
Tomorrow Tomorrow is our big Holiday home show live audience
(13:47):
right here at the iHeart Studios in Burbank in the
helpful Honda Lounge. It's going to be a great time
as always. And our good friends at ol Home, who
just happened to be the most beautiful store in Los
Angeles and this time of year, just jaw droppingly stunning
(14:09):
store for Christmas decor of all sorts. Our good friends
at Aldick have our sponsoring tomorrow's show and they're providing
a seven and a half foot beautiful ah gold Christmas
tree that they're going to be decorating live on stage
with us at the show tomorrow. And then one of
those lucky audience members are going to take that tree home.
(14:32):
So that's when it comes to an artificial tree. The
fact that, like I said before the break, that it
takes nine plus years for the use of a single
artificial tree to level out, its like its environmental impact
with getting live, fresh trees every year, because those are
(14:54):
far healthier, you know, on a yearly basis. But if
you hold on to it long enough, then you could
be you know, ultimately saving uh and uh and doing
you know, a better thing environmentally for the planet if
you hold onto it long enough. But you got to
hold on to it for at least a decade just
to break even. And that's why I'm always pushing you
(15:16):
toward Aldacombe because they literally have the most gorgeous artificial trees.
So uh, they're they're beautiful, they're designed perfectly and uh
and they're they're just the best. So that's something that
we'll talk a little bit but more about tomorrow on
the artificial side of things. But today, Uh, if you're
(15:37):
like me and the you heard Tina say earlier that
you know, we have a few artificial trees around on
the property just because it's fun. It's fun to have one.
We like, we've got a lit tree, uh in sitting
in the backyard, so you know, like when we're outside
by the fire pit and stuff. There it is. We
got a goofy kind of cartoon tree out on the
(15:58):
front deck, and then these little pencil trees you know
that go in little rooms like the guest house or
the garden room whatever. And our real tree is coming.
But we always buy. Always. I grew up in a
family that just had zero Christmas spirit whatsoever, pretty much,
and we always had a really bad artificial tree, and
(16:20):
I couldn't wait to get out on my own and
have real trees. And so we do that. Tina feels
the same way, and so the real tree is coming,
and today we're just talking a little bit about them.
Now here's the thing when it comes down to the
biggest decisions you have to make for a real tree,
(16:41):
if you're an informed real tree connoisseur, then you've got
really two big decisions to make. Fragrance versus endurance, and
the second decision thicker structure and open tiers versus thinner
branches but fuller body. Hmmm. So what's the decision there
(17:03):
between the two Because you've got different species of trees,
so let's talk about fragrance versus endurance on a tree. Okay,
here is the secret you need to know. I'm surprised
not more people understand this. But we talk about two
things that we want out of a real tree when
we bring it into our home. One, we want it
(17:24):
to last. We don't want it to dry out and
start dropping needles mid December, right, So you don't want
it to dry out, so it's got to last. But
at the same time, we also we really want it
to just just become a beautiful aroma inside the house.
I mean, ideally that's what you one that lasts through
(17:46):
New Years and is just you know, perfuming the inside
of the house with a beautiful scent of pine or fur.
That would be the ideal tree. Unfortunately, you usually don't
get both. And here's why. It's simple science, ready science.
(18:07):
The reason you can smell a Christmas tree inside your
home is that it's losing moisture. It's giving moisture to
the air, and therefore it's the resins inside it are
being kind of ejected into the air and therefore perfuming
(18:29):
the air. In other words, the Christmas trees that are
most fragrant are the ones that dry out the fastest
because they're losing moisture. Then there are other species of
trees that will easily without question. They've got thick waxy
needles right, and you get them home and they will
stay beautiful with minimal amount of maintenance all through the
(18:52):
month of December and the second part of November. But
they're not as fragrant. And the simple reason is that
that thick waxy needle is hanging on to its own moisture.
It's not drying out, but it's also not sharing itself
with the air around it. So the first big question
(19:13):
is do we want a fragrant tree that we're going
to have to kind of baby as we go, just
keep keep keep her, keep her moist as possible. Or
do we want a tree that's going to just endure
that's going to look the same on you know, the
day after Christmas or New Year's Day. If you keep
them that long, it'll look the same then and as
(19:34):
as it does in the lot, you know, when you
pick it up this week. So those species that are
one or the other, these are the things that that
we've got to decide. So we'll talk about those species
when we come back. And then the other question of
how you want to decorate the tree, whether you want
a full, full structure to it or whether you want
(19:56):
some openness and room for some big ornamentation. Everybody's decided
divided on this. There's no right or wrong decision. I
just want you to be informed so that you can
plan your Christmas tree to tree de core appropriately makes sense?
All right? More if I am six forty live streaming
and HD everywhere on the iHeart radio app, Dean sharp
(20:19):
the house whisper. Hey, we're going to be going to
the phones right after this bit, so here's the number
to reach me. It's a bit yeah, eight three three
two ask Dean. Eight three three the numeral to ask
Dean eight three three two ask Dean. It's just that
easy to ask Dean. We will be going to the
(20:42):
phones right after our next break, so hey, give me
a call. I'll spend as much time on the phone
today as we've got callers to spend time with. How
about that as a deal. So now is a great
time to call and we'll figure out what's going on
with your home. Anything you want to talk about, design, construction, DIY,
whatever the case may be. Whatever's got you scratching your
(21:03):
head about your home all right back to Christmas trees.
So you know, it's a shocker for a lot of people.
They don't realize nobody's ever explained to them that the
difference between a tree that gives off a beautiful fragrance
and a tree that does not is usually the difference
(21:23):
between a tree that is drying out because it's losing sap.
It's those resinous compounds that actually make that beautiful smell.
It's losing moisture versus a tree that doesn't smell so
much is holding on to its moisture and therefore enduring.
So it doesn't mean that there's no fragrance whatsoever from
(21:46):
a tree that's holding on to its moisture. It's just
that the fact of the matter is there's quite a
bit less. And so you've got to make a decision
when it comes to a tree species, and you can tell.
You don't have to, you know, take a botanist with
you or an arborist with you when you go to
the tree lot. You can tell. And the general reality
(22:09):
is that the thinner the needles on a tree, generally speaking,
and the thinner more flexible and fuller the branches, the
more of that tree will be one that gives off moisture.
It loses its moisture. The thicker the branches and the
thicker waxier needles like noble furs, those kinds of trees,
(22:32):
those are going to hold on to their own moisture
longer and therefore be easier to last through the entire
month without getting dry. The other question, though, of course,
is decor on the tree. And you know, a lot
of people it's sort of counterintuitive for them because they
go looking for the fullest, fullest, packed full of branches
(22:55):
Christmas tree possible and that's Hey, if that's your vibe, great,
go for it. But if you just it's be good
to have a game plan as to how you want
to decorate a tree. And there are two, you know,
schools of thought here. One is, well, let's just do
a minimal, small surface decoration, so I small ornaments and
(23:16):
garland on the outside of the tree. If that's your plan,
then sure a cone, beautiful cone shaped very very thick,
can't see through it to the other side. Tree like
a Douglas fur, which has been for my whole child
growing up here in southern California. The Douglas fir was
(23:36):
the king of all Christmas trees sold here by clearly
the most popular. And then you're on the other side
of the coin. You've got the the nobles grand furs, spruces,
those kinds of trees. Spruce is not so easy to
find in SOCW but fur trees definitely noble furs. Those
(23:58):
have very definitive of tiers of their branches and more
space through and so when you're looking at them at
a tree lot, you're like, God, I don't know, I mean,
I want a full tree. But if your plan though,
is large ornaments and all, you know, those tiers provide
the perfect hanging space for lots of beautiful ornamentation in
(24:21):
between tiers of branches. So the point is, have a
game plan as to how you want to decorate a tree,
and it's gonna be beautiful either way. It's just if
you've got really big ornaments. It's hard to shove larger
ornaments onto a tree that's just full of branches, just
everywhere that's full, full, full, because you're literally going to
(24:44):
be shoving them into that thickness of branches. And so
the larger the ornaments in general, or the more ornaments
in general, then the better off you are to have
a tree that's got a little bit more air space
in between the branches as you go. So the the
trees that are available here that you can cut yourself,
(25:07):
that's a whole nother thing. Tree lots here in Southern
California that are literally they're usually in open spaces, like
underneath power lines, power company easements. That's where those tree
farms are that are growing their own trees here in
southern California. You're only gonna find like Monterey and Aleppo pines,
long bright green needles, and those are beautiful trees, but
(25:30):
just know that that's the kind of tree that grows
easiest and best here in Southern California. And then there's
the Christmas tree. And I put this in air quotes
because it's not really it's not a pine tree, and
that would be cypress bushes which Arizona or Leland cypress
that have been shaped into Christmas tree shapes, no sap on.
(25:54):
Those great for people with allergies. And then you've got
things that grow here in Southern California which are very
very unusual to cut down, which are like coastal redwoods
and things like that, and small ones, obviously the small ones.
And then in the pre cut department Douglas fir, full
and straight noble fur it can get wide at the base.
(26:15):
Grand fur is kind of a midpoint between noble and
Douglas silver. Underneath the needles, I just lost my notes.
They just literally disappeared. From there we are the Frasier fur,
very blue green. It tends toward being a little bit slender,
and my personal favorite and by the way, Europe, Europe's
(26:35):
preferred tree, the Nordman. It lasts, it lasts and lasts,
and Latin very very minimal fragrance, but a beautiful, just gorgeous,
quintessential Christmas tree that lasts and lasts and last, the
Nordman fur. And more lots have those now than ever.
All Right, when we return, we're gonna go to the
phones your Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper on KFI.
(27:00):
To Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI A
M six forty
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio appf I
AM six forty live streaming an HD everywhere on the
iHeart Radio app. Welcome Home. I am Dean Sharp, the
(00:21):
House Whisper. I design custom homes, I build custom homes,
and right now I am your guide to better understanding
that place where you live. Today, on the show, we're
gonna talk about getting ahead of the holidays. We don't
have much time to get ahead of them because the
holidays are here Thursday, Thanksgiving rolling up. This is the
(00:43):
weekend before Thanksgiving, and then you know we are in it.
Everybody is in it. So I'm gonna give you some
interesting bits of advice and we'll talk about some products
out there that might change the way you do the
holidays this year. It's not too late at all to
get caught up and move ahead on that. And of
course your calls love to talk to you about whatever
(01:07):
is going on with your home today, whatever's got you
scratching your head thinking, I don't know what to do
with this, Give me a call. How about you and
I we sit down and we figure it out together.
The number to reach me eight three three two. Ask
Dean A three to three the numeral two. Ask Dean,
here we go again, eight three three two, Ask Dean,
(01:30):
there you go. Phone lines are open right now. Producer
Richie standing by. He'll pick up your call, tell you
everything you need to know, pop you into the queue,
and who knows you and I we could work it
out and I would love to take as many calls
as possible today. So let's get on it. Let's get
on it. I know it's six in the morning. I
get it, I get it. But you know that's never
(01:50):
stopped you before. So let's move forward. Let me introduce
our awesome team. Sam of course is on the board.
Good morning, Good morning Dean. How you doing. I am
it's been a week, it's been a week, but I'm good.
I'm good. I'm very very grateful this week Sam of
(02:11):
course wrangling our live studio audience maybe are not quite
so live studio audience. That reminds me though, tomorrow we're
going to have a fully legit live studio audience right
here at iHeart Studios, because tomorrow is the holiday home Show,
which we are super thrilled with a bunch of you
(02:31):
are going to be joining me here and we're gonna
have a great time. Do not miss that show. Lots
of fun and surprises along the way. Like I said,
producer Richie standing by, take your calls nowhere near Mike
right now. I lean Gonzalez. I am can't even tell
you how grateful I am to hear you on the
radio today.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Good morning, Dean. I'm grateful to be here with.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
You, so good to have you, so good to have
you sitting across the table from me. Oh, talk about gratitude.
My better half, absolutely, my design partner, the co founder
of House Whisper. That's her spirit animal right there. My
best friend in all the world, Tina is here.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Welcome home. Hey you, Yeah, glad to be home.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
You've had a week.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I've had a week.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I want to tell everybody real quick kind of what's
been going on.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, I had a surgery.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It was kind of unexpected, kind of yeah, but I'm
good and I'm back home and just now need to recover.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So sadly I won't be at the live event tomorrow.
Just don't have I'm not walking that fast yet.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
We're gonna pipe you in somehow.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yeah, but well we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
But I am so glad that you are here right now.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yes, I am glad to.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You are my Christmas present.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh I love you babe.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
All right, y'all. Yeah, it's been a week. It has
been a week. But you know what, we got the
holidays coming, and we're going to dive in head first
when we come back with getting ahead of you know
what I want to do when we come back. I
want to talk about Christmas trees because you're going to
be making some decisions this year. This week, many of
(04:16):
you about a Christmas tree. Let's have a discussion about
getting you on the inside, the inside scoop on what's
going on with Christmas trees, especially if you're going to
buy a living tree and or I should say, a
real tree. They're all real. Some grew and some were manufactured,
but they're all real. They're not illusions. But Christmas trees.
(04:40):
That's the weirdest, most wonderful thing that we do to
our home every year. We'll talk about it. Spoop sharp
the house with for Hey, whether your home is a
condo or a cottage or a castle, I am here
to help you take it to the next level. That's
what we are all about here. It is a sleepy
cloud dark, cold, cool at least Saturday morning here in
(05:06):
southern California. And I am glad you are with me.
I'm glad we are here, sitting here talking about your
home together. We're gonna also be going to the phones.
I would love to take some calls today. It's up
to you, though, It's totally up to you. I'll just
keep yacking unless you give me a call. The phone
lines are open, and the number to reach me eight
(05:28):
three to three. Two. Ask Dean, eight three to three,
the numeral two, ask Dean. It's just early. Yeah, we've
got a couple of calls on the board. I'd love
to have more, though. All right, let's talk about getting
ahead of the holidays. What did I say. I was
gonna say, Oh, yeah, Christmas trees. Christmas trees are well,
(05:52):
you know, dragging a tree into your house. I don't
know if you knew. This not a normal thing, not
not something we do every week, every month, but it
is something that we do quite often every year. Right,
Bringing evergreen branches and logs into homes is a midwinter
(06:13):
tradition much much older than Christmas. I'm using my air
quotes here Christmas the name of that particular holiday celebration.
It's older than Christmas itself. Evergreen trees have been symbols
of hope and life through the darkest, coldest days of
(06:34):
winter for thousands upon thousands of years. And there are
some reasons why I think it's a really really special tradition.
I mean, it really is. I'm gonna have more to
say about this on tomorrow's Holiday show, but it is
just a really special tradition. Also a tradition that nobody needs,
(06:56):
in my opinion, to feel guilty about in terms of like, oh,
you're just cutting down the forests of the world. No, no, no,
for quite a while now, for quite a long, long while. Now,
Christmas trees that you go and get it a Christmas
tree lot, they are an agricultural product. Are you aware
of that? I just want to make you aware. Christmas
(07:16):
trees are an agricultural product. It means that the tree
that you bought is really no different than you know,
except for the price, than you know buying lettuce or carrots,
because they are grown on a tree farm specifically for
the purpose of being harvested and being used in Yule
(07:36):
Tide celebrations. And so we are not clear cutting forests,
old growth forests in order to bring your Christmas tree
to you. They are simply grown on a farm, and
that's a good thing as well. In fact, the argument
can be made and is made, and I will I'll
give you some facts on this in just a second
(07:56):
that you know that it's a good thing that it
It helps, it helps carbon capture, it helps all the
things that good agriculture is capable of doing. Christmas trees remain,
i think, still the centerpiece of the holiday season. You
might think that an increasingly secular and multicultural America, the
(08:19):
Christmas tree would be fading in popularity, but reality is
just the opposite. Christmas trees are going to be found
this year, and roughly, if we hold true to current statistics,
are going to be found in over seventy two percent
of American households of every ethnicity, both religious and non
(08:40):
religious alike. It is a tradition which transcends boundaries. That's
one of the reasons I love it so much. Perhaps
because a tree enables it to speak, and just the
fact that it is a tree enables it to speak
to all of us. Trees do on a deeper more
(09:02):
universally human level than just one particular religious story of
this time of year or another. Whatever the source of
its magic, the Christmas Tree in America has grown to
become a kind of I don't know, I think a scaffolding.
You call it that, for expressing our most cherished ideals,
(09:22):
celebrating our most beloved relationships, and doing it I think
most importantly in the darkest of days. Se fun facts
on the Christmas Tree one hundred let's see that, where's
my nose? Ere twenty one million real trees and about
thirteen million artificial trees are going to be purchased by
(09:44):
US households this Christmas season. There are one hundred and
thirty ish million households in the US. It's estimated this
year ninety four million of them will display a Christmas tree.
That is a Christmas tree. Like I said in well,
you know the three quarters of the households. Seventy nine
percent of people who decorate for the holidays agree that
(10:08):
the earlier they decorate for Christmas, the more holiday spirit
they experienced. Fifty five percent of households have now already
decorated before Thanksgiving. And the guess what I'm raising my hand.
I mean, don't be ashamed of me. If you're one
of those you shouldn't decorate until after Thanksgiving. Well, listen,
(10:32):
Tina had surgery this week. We wanted to get some
things out of the way first, and so now we
don't have our tree up, but we did the rest
of the decorating around the house, the major you know,
the lights on the house and so on and so forth.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
We actually have lots of trees up. They're just not real.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Oh that's true. There's a tree on the front porch,
there's a tree in the backyard. There's a tree. How
many trees do we have.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We have a tree in the garden room, a tree
in the guest house.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
So I think four four up currently right now.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Those are artificial trees, Yeah, artificial decorative fun outdoor.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
But the real tree is coming. The real tree is
on its way, very excitedly. That's always the centerpiece of stuff. Christmas.
Trees are roughly a two billion dollar industry in the US.
That's split about fifty to fifty I think, let me
check this little yep, about fifty to fifty between real
(11:31):
and artificial trees. Real trees are grown on over fifteen
thousand farms covering three hundred and fifty thousand acres in
the United States and employing an industry of over one
hundred thousand people. And according to independent environmental impact studies,
here's here you go. An artificial tree needs to be
(11:55):
used for at least nine to ten years before it
becomes more environmentally friendly than having eight years of real trees,
because you know, on artificial trees manufactured and a carbon offset,
all of that kind of stuff, shipping and all of that.
(12:15):
Real trees, by the way, they are as safe as
artificial trees. Here's the truth. Point zero zero one percent.
Point zero zero one percent of real Christmas trees catch
fire every year these days. That's about two hundred trees
for every twenty million trees sold. So there you go.
(12:38):
There's your stats on your Christmas trees. Now, when we
come back, let's talk about the biggest tree decisions and
whether you're even aware of how you're making that decision
and how it's going to affect the vibe of the
tree inside your house. There are two big tree decisions
to make. We'll discuss them. You're listening to Home with
(13:02):
Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty can't
bye AM six forty live streaming and HD everywhere on
the iHeart Radio app. Dean Sharp the House whisper here
for you this morning. We're talking about getting ahead of
the holidays because they're here. I mean we are ahead
(13:23):
of them technically right now, just by what a few days,
because Thursday is Thanksgiving, and then after that you're not
ahead of them, you're in them. So and I'm specifically
right now at least we're talking about Christmas trees now.
Tomorrow Tomorrow is our big Holiday home show live audience
(13:47):
right here at the iHeart Studios in Burbank in the
helpful Honda Lounge. It's going to be a great time
as always. And our good friends at ol Home, who
just happened to be the most beautiful store in Los
Angeles and this time of year, just jaw droppingly stunning
(14:09):
store for Christmas decor of all sorts. Our good friends
at Aldick have our sponsoring tomorrow's show and they're providing
a seven and a half foot beautiful ah gold Christmas
tree that they're going to be decorating live on stage
with us at the show tomorrow. And then one of
those lucky audience members are going to take that tree home.
(14:32):
So that's when it comes to an artificial tree. The
fact that, like I said before the break, that it
takes nine plus years for the use of a single
artificial tree to level out, its like its environmental impact
with getting live, fresh trees every year, because those are
(14:54):
far healthier, you know, on a yearly basis. But if
you hold on to it long enough, then you could
be you know, ultimately saving uh and uh and doing
you know, a better thing environmentally for the planet if
you hold onto it long enough. But you got to
hold on to it for at least a decade just
to break even. And that's why I'm always pushing you
(15:16):
toward Aldacombe because they literally have the most gorgeous artificial trees.
So uh, they're they're beautiful, they're designed perfectly and uh
and they're they're just the best. So that's something that
we'll talk a little bit but more about tomorrow on
the artificial side of things. But today, Uh, if you're
(15:37):
like me and the you heard Tina say earlier that
you know, we have a few artificial trees around on
the property just because it's fun. It's fun to have one.
We like, we've got a lit tree, uh in sitting
in the backyard, so you know, like when we're outside
by the fire pit and stuff. There it is. We
got a goofy kind of cartoon tree out on the
(15:58):
front deck, and then these little pencil trees you know
that go in little rooms like the guest house or
the garden room whatever. And our real tree is coming.
But we always buy. Always. I grew up in a
family that just had zero Christmas spirit whatsoever, pretty much,
and we always had a really bad artificial tree, and
(16:20):
I couldn't wait to get out on my own and
have real trees. And so we do that. Tina feels
the same way, and so the real tree is coming,
and today we're just talking a little bit about them.
Now here's the thing when it comes down to the
biggest decisions you have to make for a real tree,
(16:41):
if you're an informed real tree connoisseur, then you've got
really two big decisions to make. Fragrance versus endurance, and
the second decision thicker structure and open tiers versus thinner
branches but fuller body. Hmmm. So what's the decision there
(17:03):
between the two Because you've got different species of trees,
so let's talk about fragrance versus endurance on a tree. Okay,
here is the secret you need to know. I'm surprised
not more people understand this. But we talk about two
things that we want out of a real tree when
we bring it into our home. One, we want it
(17:24):
to last. We don't want it to dry out and
start dropping needles mid December, right, So you don't want
it to dry out, so it's got to last. But
at the same time, we also we really want it
to just just become a beautiful aroma inside the house.
I mean, ideally that's what you one that lasts through
(17:46):
New Years and is just you know, perfuming the inside
of the house with a beautiful scent of pine or fur.
That would be the ideal tree. Unfortunately, you usually don't
get both. And here's why. It's simple science, ready science.
(18:07):
The reason you can smell a Christmas tree inside your
home is that it's losing moisture. It's giving moisture to
the air, and therefore it's the resins inside it are
being kind of ejected into the air and therefore perfuming
(18:29):
the air. In other words, the Christmas trees that are
most fragrant are the ones that dry out the fastest
because they're losing moisture. Then there are other species of
trees that will easily without question. They've got thick waxy
needles right, and you get them home and they will
stay beautiful with minimal amount of maintenance all through the
(18:52):
month of December and the second part of November. But
they're not as fragrant. And the simple reason is that
that thick waxy needle is hanging on to its own moisture.
It's not drying out, but it's also not sharing itself
with the air around it. So the first big question
(19:13):
is do we want a fragrant tree that we're going
to have to kind of baby as we go, just
keep keep keep her, keep her moist as possible. Or
do we want a tree that's going to just endure
that's going to look the same on you know, the
day after Christmas or New Year's Day. If you keep
them that long, it'll look the same then and as
(19:34):
as it does in the lot, you know, when you
pick it up this week. So those species that are
one or the other, these are the things that that
we've got to decide. So we'll talk about those species
when we come back. And then the other question of
how you want to decorate the tree, whether you want
a full, full structure to it or whether you want
(19:56):
some openness and room for some big ornamentation. Everybody's decided
divided on this. There's no right or wrong decision. I
just want you to be informed so that you can
plan your Christmas tree to tree de core appropriately makes sense?
All right? More if I am six forty live streaming
and HD everywhere on the iHeart radio app, Dean sharp
(20:19):
the house whisper. Hey, we're going to be going to
the phones right after this bit, so here's the number
to reach me. It's a bit yeah, eight three three
two ask Dean. Eight three three the numeral to ask
Dean eight three three two ask Dean. It's just that
easy to ask Dean. We will be going to the
(20:42):
phones right after our next break, so hey, give me
a call. I'll spend as much time on the phone
today as we've got callers to spend time with. How
about that as a deal. So now is a great
time to call and we'll figure out what's going on
with your home. Anything you want to talk about, design, construction, DIY,
whatever the case may be. Whatever's got you scratching your
(21:03):
head about your home all right back to Christmas trees.
So you know, it's a shocker for a lot of people.
They don't realize nobody's ever explained to them that the
difference between a tree that gives off a beautiful fragrance
and a tree that does not is usually the difference
(21:23):
between a tree that is drying out because it's losing sap.
It's those resinous compounds that actually make that beautiful smell.
It's losing moisture versus a tree that doesn't smell so
much is holding on to its moisture and therefore enduring.
So it doesn't mean that there's no fragrance whatsoever from
(21:46):
a tree that's holding on to its moisture. It's just
that the fact of the matter is there's quite a
bit less. And so you've got to make a decision
when it comes to a tree species, and you can tell.
You don't have to, you know, take a botanist with
you or an arborist with you when you go to
the tree lot. You can tell. And the general reality
(22:09):
is that the thinner the needles on a tree, generally speaking,
and the thinner more flexible and fuller the branches, the
more of that tree will be one that gives off moisture.
It loses its moisture. The thicker the branches and the
thicker waxier needles like noble furs, those kinds of trees,
(22:32):
those are going to hold on to their own moisture
longer and therefore be easier to last through the entire
month without getting dry. The other question, though, of course,
is decor on the tree. And you know, a lot
of people it's sort of counterintuitive for them because they
go looking for the fullest, fullest, packed full of branches
(22:55):
Christmas tree possible and that's Hey, if that's your vibe, great,
go for it. But if you just it's be good
to have a game plan as to how you want
to decorate a tree. And there are two, you know,
schools of thought here. One is, well, let's just do
a minimal, small surface decoration, so I small ornaments and
(23:16):
garland on the outside of the tree. If that's your plan,
then sure a cone, beautiful cone shaped very very thick,
can't see through it to the other side. Tree like
a Douglas fur, which has been for my whole child
growing up here in southern California. The Douglas fir was
(23:36):
the king of all Christmas trees sold here by clearly
the most popular. And then you're on the other side
of the coin. You've got the the nobles grand furs, spruces,
those kinds of trees. Spruce is not so easy to
find in SOCW but fur trees definitely noble furs. Those
(23:58):
have very definitive of tiers of their branches and more
space through and so when you're looking at them at
a tree lot, you're like, God, I don't know, I mean,
I want a full tree. But if your plan though,
is large ornaments and all, you know, those tiers provide
the perfect hanging space for lots of beautiful ornamentation in
(24:21):
between tiers of branches. So the point is, have a
game plan as to how you want to decorate a tree,
and it's gonna be beautiful either way. It's just if
you've got really big ornaments. It's hard to shove larger
ornaments onto a tree that's just full of branches, just
everywhere that's full, full, full, because you're literally going to
(24:44):
be shoving them into that thickness of branches. And so
the larger the ornaments in general, or the more ornaments
in general, then the better off you are to have
a tree that's got a little bit more air space
in between the branches as you go. So the the
trees that are available here that you can cut yourself,
(25:07):
that's a whole nother thing. Tree lots here in Southern
California that are literally they're usually in open spaces, like
underneath power lines, power company easements. That's where those tree
farms are that are growing their own trees here in
southern California. You're only gonna find like Monterey and Aleppo pines,
long bright green needles, and those are beautiful trees, but
(25:30):
just know that that's the kind of tree that grows
easiest and best here in Southern California. And then there's
the Christmas tree. And I put this in air quotes
because it's not really it's not a pine tree, and
that would be cypress bushes which Arizona or Leland cypress
that have been shaped into Christmas tree shapes, no sap on.
(25:54):
Those great for people with allergies. And then you've got
things that grow here in Southern California which are very
very unusual to cut down, which are like coastal redwoods
and things like that, and small ones, obviously the small ones.
And then in the pre cut department Douglas fir, full
and straight noble fur it can get wide at the base.
(26:15):
Grand fur is kind of a midpoint between noble and
Douglas silver. Underneath the needles, I just lost my notes.
They just literally disappeared. From there we are the Frasier fur,
very blue green. It tends toward being a little bit slender,
and my personal favorite and by the way, Europe, Europe's
(26:35):
preferred tree, the Nordman. It lasts, it lasts and lasts,
and Latin very very minimal fragrance, but a beautiful, just gorgeous,
quintessential Christmas tree that lasts and lasts and last, the
Nordman fur. And more lots have those now than ever.
All Right, when we return, we're gonna go to the
phones your Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper on KFI.
(27:00):
To Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI A
M six forty
Home with Dean Sharp News
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