Christmas trees are almost as individual as the people who buythem, and while some people start just after Halloween with theChristmas festivities, some wait until zero hour.

Joan Hartzog of Hollytree Farm in Lawrence County said in herexperience, she’s seen tree buyers come get their Christmas Treesas early as the first of November. And she’s seen them right upuntil it’s almost too late.

“It’s like anything else. People will procrastinate,” she said.”We’ve sold trees as late as Christmas Eve.”

Hartzog said that’s not an unusual thing, and that people haveall sorts of reasons for putting it off that late. Sometimes, it’snot actually procrastination, like the year when her family waiteduntil the last minute.

“We actually got a tree on Christmas Eve ourselves one year. Wehad a grandson who wasn’t going to get here until early ChristmasEve, so we picked out the tree when he got here,” she said.

The Brookway Market Basket’s Wayne Wallace said as long as it’sbefore Christmas, there’s no ‘too late.’

“It’s too late to put up a tree on the 26th of December,” hesaid with a laugh. “I’ve been here 25 years, and for some of themit’s a tradition that they’ll come here and buy a tree on ChristmasEve.”

This year the rainy weather has been a blessing to tree sales,he said, because it has kept the trees in good health. The factthat he ordered more than he needed could also be a positive tolast-minute buyers, Wallace said.

Meanwhile, there are also those who plan ahead.

Wallace said he has people who will order trees, especially theextra tall ones, well ahead of time. Hartzog said people will cometo the tree farm as early as August to put their names on a treeand reserve it for the Christmas season.

“It seems like people get busier and busier through the years,”she said. “We’ve had some tagged as early as August.

“But if they put their tag on a tree, if they want somethingdifferent when they come that’s fine,” she continued. “We want themto be happy with what they take home.”

Jenny Davis, of Summit, said she put her tree up just beforeThanksgiving to get her family into the holiday spirit.

“Christmas and Thanksgiving are all one big holiday to me,” shesaid.

Meanwhile, Jason Herring, of Copiah County, said he hasn’t evenstarted thinking about Christmas trees yet.

“I guess I should. Christmas is getting pretty close here,” hesaid, adding that he’s been too busy with work.

“I got two boys, I should make them go cut one,” he said with alaugh.

But procrastination can happen on both sides of the Christmasseason.

Former roommates Lonnie Ferrell of Lincoln County and WillRoberts of Hinds County have, in the past, made procrastinationsomething of a Christmas art.

“Lonnie put up the Christmas tree in our apartment in Pearl, andChristmas passed and we forgot to take it down,” Roberts said. “Abuddy of ours said, ‘Just leave it up as a New Year’s Tree.'”

So the New Year’s Tree became a Valentine’s Tree, a Mother’s DayTree, a Father’s Day Tree, and a Fourth of July Tree, Roberts said.Then it became a Party Tree.

“When we moved out, our buddy took the tree and put it on hisback porch where it still sits today,” he said. “He still plugs thelights in when he has a cookout or a get-together.”