AUGUSTA, Ga. - The turkey has barely been cleared off the table and already many families are gearing up for Christmas by starting their search for one of the holiday season’s biggest staples. The Christmas tree. Many people turn the task of finding the perfect one into a family affair.

“I won the last two years but this year we had to give it to my sister,” Michael Barrowman said.

Call it a little friendly competition. Each year the day after Thanksgiving Barrowman and his family go to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.

“It's gotta be tall and straight and it has to have the things come out just right,” Barrowman said.

This year Barrowman and five of his 11 siblings competed to see if their selection would be the one.

“It's not mine but it'll work,” he said.

“We try to get families out to have the family tradition,” Matthew Gay of Gay’s Christmas Tree Farm said.

Gay says the tree tradition can be serious business.

“I have seen families come out and have family arguments trying to select which tree,” Gay said.

He says it's usually the lady of the house who wins out.

“Normally the wife has 51 percent of the vote,”

“Actually she's got more like 95 percent of the choice,” Phill Peavler said.

Picking the perfect tree is also a tradition for Peavler and his family.

“They all have input I'm along for the ride and to help carry it home,” Peavler said.

All trees are not created equally. There are basically three types of Christmas trees sold in our area and each offers something different.

First is the Frasier fur.

“They have a strong limb structure so they can hold the heavy ornaments,” Gay said.

“We have a lot of ornaments so we have to have a lot of branches,” Barrowman, whose family selected a Frasier Fur, said.

The second type of tree is the Leland Cyprus

“It doesn't shed and stays fresh for two to three month,” Gay said.

“We've had both. We like the Leland Cyprus better they last really long,” Peavler said.

The last tree is the Carolina Sapphire. It has a short life span and should be purchased closer to Christmas.

No matter which tree, the families agree it is the time shared that really makes this tradition special.

“The kids look forward to it every year,” Peavler said.

Gay offered some advice for your tree once you get it home. Refill the water in the base everyday. Keep it away from heat sources especially rooms with a fireplace. Inspect lights and don't use candles.

Gay’s Christmas Tree Farm provides other activities for families. Visit the farm’s website for more information and hours.