Well, folks, you may know that I just helped light the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. 15,000 lights on 7 miles of wire. And just like in your home, if one goes out, they all go out! Just kidding!

While Rockefeller Center has a staff picking out their tree, it's just you and your family getting the tree for your family room. So to help make your holiday season a happier one, here are some tips on choosing the perfect natural tree for your home.

• MEASURE. Sounds obvious, right? Know ahead of time where you want to put the tree, and make sure to measure the space before you head out to find your tree. Then measure the tree you like to make sure it's a good fit. Nothing worse than getting the tree home, putting it in the stand and then…uh-oh. That bad boy's too tall for the room.
• Know what kind of tree species you want? Terrific. If you're looking to choose a different kind this year, check out www.christmastrees.org to figure out which kind of species best suits your home.
• Choose a well-lighted retail lot that stores trees in a shaded area. Some guy in a trenchcoat going, "Pssst. Wanna buy a tree, pal?" is probably not the place to buy your tree.
• Ask when the tree was cut to get an idea how fresh it is (the fresher the tree, the longer it will look green and healthy). If you can't get a good answer on the tree's freshness, look at how green the needles are and see if they break cleanly. Fresh green needles should break crisply, unless they are pine trees -- pine needles only break if they are very dry. Unless you're handy with a saw, ask them to cut an inch or so off the bottom of the tree to allow moisture to make its way into the tree once you put it into the stand.
• Do a visual check to make sure the tree isn't too dry. Wrinkled bark, needle loss and brown needles are all signs that the tree is past its prime. If you think a tree isn't fresh, find another one. None of the trees look fresh? Find another place to buy your tree.
• Find out about recycling Christmas trees in your community. Some retailers will handle the recycling for you after the holidays and may even give you some money back if you bring the tree in.

And if you're pining for a natural tree but you're worried about the mess, consider this: real trees benefit the environment while they grow (trees absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen), they are renewable (most Christmas tree growers plant one to three seedlings for each tree they harvest) and they are recyclable.

Or you can do like my dad did…break down and buy an artificial…er…faux tree. The ultimate in recycling…every year open the box, put the dang thing up, then take it down.

Happy holidays!