Our tree this year was a Douglas Fir. Smaller than usual, 'cuz our place is smaller than it always has been. For some reason Douglas Firs were the best values of all the other trees. Some of the prices for some pretty scroungy-looking trees were outrageous. I gather the Douglases have a shorter growth cycle and that's why they cost less, or perhaps the guy at the tree place was just bullshitting. Anyway our tree was pretty even if it only held about half our 8 zillion ornaments.