For those of you who wait under December to put up your Christmas tree, today is the perfect day to do it. That is after you go out and get one.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry introduced Christmas Tree Day last year, to be held on the first Saturday of December to help support tree farms in the province.
"Ontario is celebrating the first anniversary of its official Christmas Tree Day and the hardworking farmers that help people across the province deck the halls with local trees and greenery each year." a release said.
"Ontario's Christmas tree industry employs thousands of workers in the farming, transportation and retail sectors, and generates $11.3 million in sales annually. 647 Christmas tree farms in the Greenbelt and across the province, sustainably produce more than one million Christmas trees each year, while planting the same number of seedlings for future harvests."
Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Kathryn McGarry and Minister of Agricultre, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal were at Chickadee Farms in Puslinch to commemorate Christmas Tree Day.
Some quick Christmas tree facts from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry:
•In 2015, Ontario passed the Christmas Tree Day Act, 2015 proclaiming the first Saturday of December each year as Christmas Tree Day.
•Ontario exported 22,000 Christmas trees in 2015 valued at $472,760.
•Ontario Christmas trees are all-natural, environmentally-friendly and 100 per cent biodegradable.
•Every acre of planted Christmas trees produces enough daily oxygen for 18 people. Christmas tree farms cover 14,715 acres of land across Ontario.
•It takes eight to 10 years to grow an eight-foot Christmas tree, depending on the species.