Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror and for many people that means it's time to decorate for Christmas.

With snow still draping many of the evergreens around Carbon County, hundreds of families took their saws and measuring sticks into the fields Friday, Saturday and Sunday in search of that perfect Christmas tree.According to the National Christmas Tree Foundation (NCTF), around 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold each year in the United States.In 2013, the industry raked in $1.16 billion at an average of $35.30 per real tree, per a consumer survey.That was the highest total since 2007 and local farms are hoping for another successful year in 2014.Employees at Hill Farms, along Gilberts Hill Road in Lehighton, said business has been steady throughout the weekend, with customers enjoying the scenery of snow throughout the farm while it lasts.“When the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is short like it is this year, things really get bustling quickly,” said Tara Hill. “We're really looking forward to a great season as I think more people are aware of the shop local movement and looking to local tree farms as opposed to the big box stores. We also have a lot of repeat customers both local and from New Jersey and New York.”Picking a tree is a serious task for many families including the Sartis, who travel from New Jersey to Lehighton each year to pick out their prize.“We've turned it into a really nice family tradition over the last three or four years,” Anthony Sarti said, while looking over the Hill Farms fields with his daughter Rachel.“We'll grab dinner at P.J. Whelihan's and make a really great day out of it.”At Hill Farms, the popular early seller is the Frasier Fir as well as exotic firs like Nordman and Turkish Fir.“We're in our third year of selling the exotic firs and we really haven't had anyone come back and say we didn't like those trees,” said Jeff Hill. “They are different and beautiful. People may come for a different style of tree, but they see them and say that's what I want.”For more, read the Times News print edition.