Bay Laurel Christmas Tree, a native tree for northern California holidays.

The Christmas tree is a fine symbol of winter, holidays, and merriment. The fir tree is traditional, epitomized by the Rockefeller Center tree in NYC or the traditional German version with real candles instead of lights. Evergreen trees native to Europe, Russia, and northern North America represent winter hardiness, since they remain green while deciduous trees are bare.

In much of the world broad leaf trees do not lose their leaves in winter. Places like the San Francisco bay area of California lack the dramatic difference between seasons that are familiar in the midwest or northeast of America. People still celebrate the Christmas holiday season, with its short, chilly days and vacations. Many belong to extended families rooted in Christmas traditions. They wish to continue the tradition of decorating a tree, with presents around it.

Yet growing fir trees to sell at Christmas is difficult in this part of the world, especially during drought years. The famous redwoods of the region are notoriously slow growing. Christmas tree species like Scott’s pine and Douglas fir suffer from periods of intense heat, which occurs increasingly often.

On the other hand, some common trees grow very well in contemporary conditions. In particular, the California bay laurel never loses its leaves and is native to the west coast. It’s attractive. Bay laurel’s main drawback is that it can serve as a host for the sudden oak death pathogen. It’s big advantage is that it grows over a foot annually. In fact it’s the fastest growing hardwood tree in California. Where we live bay saplings grow everywhere, and must be thinned to promote larger, straighter stem growth.

Cut bay saplings are 3 to 8 feet tall. They have a nice aroma, and if cut, stay fresh for weeks. We thought these would make a nice Christmas tree. The trunk can’t stay straight on it’s own — it must be tied with string to a hook on the ceiling. We also tied up some of the long branches, so they don’t block our view of the movie screen. They’re easy to adjust with string.

There’s no need for a tree stand, just a water container the cat can’t get to. Please enjoy our 2021–22 California bay Christmas tree:

This is the Christmas bay tree when the house lights are on:

Happy Holidays!