It survived for 10 years before it made its shining debut in your living room: An appreciation post for your Christmas tree and the farmer who grew it.

In Other News // 4 - News without chaos.

It likely has the longest growing season of any agricultural product you’ll ever purchase: Your Christmas tree—depending on the species—spent 10-ish years growing on a Christmas tree farm before becoming the centerpiece of your holiday celebrations.

“Essentially, that tree is open to risk for a very long time. If you compare it to something like apples that grow from spring until they’re harvested in fall, Christmas trees are in a big window throughout the years,” said Rick Bates, Ph.D., a professor of horticulture at Penn State University.

He’s an expert on Christmas trees, especially in Pennsylvania—consistently one of the top five Christmas tree-growing states.

“It’s a good business, but not without its risks,” said Bates.