It’s November, and even though we haven’t sat down to our Thanksgiving dinners, it’s hard to miss the other, much bigger holiday waiting in the wings. Christmas. Pretty soon nearly every TV screen, store display, and front porch will be filled with yuletide trappings, and that includes our stores, where we’ll be selling an array of natural Christmas trees. And that got us thinking about this tradition. Why do we cut down evergreen trees and put them in our homes? We decided to do some research and learned about the history of the Christmas tree.

Christmas is coming, and this year, you’re doing something different. You’re leaving your artificial tree tucked away in the attic, and heading out to buy the real thing. Before you do that, you may want to read our guide. We know what you’re saying: Why do I need a guide? Aren’t all Christmas trees basically the same? Not quite. Keep reading to see what separates the different branches of this family tree.