Christmas 2016: How to choose the perfect tree

"To tell if it's fresh, you lift it up, and see how heavy it is," he says. "If you pick ours up they are so heavy, and that is because of all the moisture in them.

"Ours are out on the grass all day, and they are sucking up the moisture, but at some places they just leave them on the pallet and they are past their best before you even get them home."

Steve, who has been running Winston Farm at Tetchill, near Ellesmere, for the past 12 years, knows a thing or two about trees. By the time December 25 arrives, he will have shifted between 1,000 and 1,500 in the space of just one month, and he expects this coming weekend to be the busiest of the festive period.

"Now is the best time to put the tree up, it's when I will be putting mine up," says the 40-year-old father-of-two.

Steve has also donated 30 trees to The Harry Johnson Trust, a charity to support children with cancer, which will be raffled off at the Shrewsbury Winter Festival in the Quarry Park this weekend.

As a sideline to maintaining a beef herd and keeping an arable farm, Steve's family have been growing Christmas trees for three generations, and every year dozens of parents will head to his farm with their children. Five years ago he bought three reindeer, Rupert, Holly and Bella, over from Finland, and every year the children are mesmerised by the sight.

"The children all receive a gift when they come and they can post their letters to Santa whilst the whole family enjoy a free drink and a mince pie."

He says growing the trees is not a task that can be carried out in a hurry.

"They grow about a foot a year," he says.

"We almost stopped doing them a few years ago, but it's a family tradition – we've been doing it for years – all the children come to see the reindeer, and my Auntie Joyce makes the mince pies."

Not all of the trees are grown on Steve's farm.

"We still grow some here, but people tend to want a variety of different sizes, so we buy some of them in from nearby growers.

"We get some from a farmer just up the road, he's got between 8,000 and 10,000."

While it is far from easy money, Steve says that in the current climate it is important for farmers to diversify, and selling Christmas trees can provide a useful second income.

"It's a nice little bit of extra income, although it's only one week of the year," he says.

"It's also good at the end of the year, after 11 months of dealing with red tape, to be able to do something nice," he says.

"Farming is getting more difficult, what we sell is getting cheaper, and the cost of the stuff we buy keeps going up."

The Shropshire Star is urging people to back farmers in Shropshire and Mid Wales by buying local produce, and the National Farmers' Union says buying a real Christmas tree from a local farmer is a good way to back the industry.

It is estimated that six million families will buy a real tree this year, and Harry Brightwell, of the British Tree Growers' Association says this is also good news for the environment.

"A real tree has a carbon footprint that is a tenth of the carbon footprint of an artificial tree," he says.

While the Norway spruce, known for its powerful scent, is the traditional favourite, in recent years it has been usurped by the Nordman fir, which now accounts for 80 per cent of Christmas tree sales. While it isn't as aromatic as the Norway spruce, which still accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of sales, it won't drop its needles for the duration of the festive season. It is also popular for its dense branches, uniform shape and good variety of sizes.

The remaining five to 10 per cent of sales will be a combination of Fraser fir, blue spruce, noble fir, lodgepole pine, and some lesser-known varieties. Fraser fir is ideal for those looking for a smaller tree, and has a fresh citrus scent.

Like the Nordman, its dark olive-green needles don't drop, but it is likely to be more expensive and will be harder to find. The Noble fir attracts those who want something a little different, with its blue-hued needles and rich fragrance.

Size-wise, 6ft is still the biggest seller, says Mr Brightwell.

"That is now followed by 7ft and 8ft trees," he adds.

"Many people are also buying a smaller tree to decorate the hall, dining room or children's bedroom."

Mr Brightwell says customers should look for a tree with a healthy colour and few browning needles.