O, TANNENBAUM!'TIS THE SEASON FOR TREE HUNTING -- FROM LIVING TOPIARIES TO CUT-YOUR-OWN

Here we go again! It's December, so it must be time for a Christmas tree.

Decisions. Decisions. What are the options?

Do nothing. Nah, too much trouble thinking up excuses for being a Scrooge.

Besides, it's no fun.

Decorate something else already in the home and pretend it's a Christmas

tree. We tried that once when we hung lights and tinsel on the philodendron.

Kids complained. Can't get away with that again.

Find something that looks like a Christmas tree but isn't. Kmart sells a

''fragrant herbal tree,'' which actually is a carefully trimmed Rosemary bush,

for $15.97. It's live, so you can plant it in your yard and pinch off pieces

now and then to add flavor to your dinner. You can even decorate it with

lights and ornaments! Hmmm, not altogether a bad idea.

Go to a tree farm. This is the favored option for children. What could be

more fun than running wild through a muddy orchard? Why, watching me or any

other parent cut down a sappy tree with a borrowed saw, of course. Where is

Paul Bunyan when you need him?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there are more Christmas tree

farms in the Redwood Empire than just about anywhere else. Well, at least, it

certainly seems that way. Drive in any direction for half an hour, and you're

sure to see a sign for a tree farm.

Most family operations take pity on city slickers and actually have people

on staff who will cut the tree down for you. They'll even cart it back to the

cash register and help you strap it to the roof of your car.

You'll find that kind of friendly, personalized service at the

choose-and-cut Wolf's Christmas Tree Farm on Liberty Road in Petaluma, for

example. Monterey pines sell for $10.95 to $27.95; Douglas firs (up to 8 feet)

from $29.95 and up; and Sierra redwoods (5 feet and taller) from $23.95 and

up. They have fresh wreaths for $16.99 to $23.99, and a variety of tree stands

from $13.95 to $64.95.

The hot apple cider, always available at Wolf's, is a delicious treat on a

drizzly afternoon. For the kids, there's an animal petting corral, home for a

trio of friendly goats, a calf and a rabbit.

For more family adventure, the Country Christmas Tree Farm on Bollinger

Lane in Sebastopol offers a virtual cornucopia of activities.

Here, the friendly petting zoo includes donkeys, burros, a calf and a

couple goats. There's a 50-foot pole swing, a mountain of huge inner tubes for

children to climb over, and a giant sandbox where tots play with dump trucks,

shovels and buckets. Weekends include hay rides and a snack bar.

Oh, yes, they also have acres and acres of trees. The choose-and-cut trees

include Douglas fir at $5 per foot; Sierra redwood and Scotch pine at $4 per

foot; and Monterey pine at $3 per foot. There's also a great selection of

pre-cut trees, including Douglas firs at an average of $3.50 per foot; and

Noble firs and silvertips at an average of $6.50 per foot.

Garlands, wreaths, tree stands and mistletoe are available near the cash

register, where you'll find bales of hay for seating around a barrel stove.

Go to a Christmas tree lot for a pre-cut tree. You'll find one on every

other block these days. The Kringles Korner lot on Cleveland Avenue in Santa

Rosa is unique because it's one of the few that also offers custom flocking.

There are always about 60 flocked trees available at Kringles Korner. It

takes about 24 hours for the flocking to dry, so most people like to choose

one that's already done. Grand fir is the biggest seller among flocked trees,

but you can choose any green tree from the lot and have it flocked. Or, not.

Actually, most people prefer green trees anyway.

Kringles sells Douglas firs at $4 per foot; Grand firs for $5 per foot; and

Noble firs and silvertips for $7 per foot. Add $4 per foot for flocking. They

also sell a wide selection of fresh wreaths, garlands and mistletoe.

Check out the brace tree stands ranging from $24.75 to $79.95. If you've

ever had a tree topple over in your living room, you'll see the wisdom in the

design of these brace stands. Each has a pan 16 inches in diameter that holds

two gallons of water. That's very important when you consider cut trees can't

be left dry more than about six hours, and some 12 foot trees drink up to four

gallons during the first four hours of being placed in a stand.

Buy a living tree. You can get live trees anywhere -- drug stores, grocery

stores, even gas stations -but the best place to go for a live tree is a

nursery. The advantage of a nursery is that you can get advice from an expert

about the do's and don'ts in tree care and planting.

The living Christmas trees at Bassignani's Florist Nursery in Sebastopol

range from $16.95 to $99.95. Colorado blue spruce is far and away the most

popular seller. Second is the white fir. All the others tie for distant third:

Sequoia gigantea, Colorado green spruce, Norway spruce, Alberta spruce,

Deodora cedar, Eldarica pine and Aleppo pine.

Choose an artificial tree. Fake trees have come a long way since the

aluminum models were introduced many years ago. Today's artificial trees look

very real and, of course, last a ''lifetime.'' That's probably why they cost

so much more than the real thing.

Kmart in Santa Rosa has one of the most extensive selections of fake trees

available. They're mostly 6 to 7-1/2 feet tall. You can get a Pierre pine,

blue mountain pine, Houston pine or northern fir for $129.99; an upswept pine

for $159.99; a Douglas fir or Fraser fir for $84.99; a white Ponderosa pine or

slimline glacier pine for $69.99; or a smokey mountain pine for $39.99.

Wal-Mart in Rohnert Park also has an impressive selection of life-like

artificial trees, most of which are 6 to 7-1/2 feet tall -Douglas fir, $92.87;

Wyoming fir, $69.96; Valley High Ridge Pine, $59.96; Smokey Mountain Pine,

$39.84, and Washington fir, $29.96.

Many other discount stores offer artificial trees in a wide range of prices

and styles.

Finally, for extensive listings of more than 40 Christmas tree lots and

farms, see The Press Democrat's classified advertising section every Saturday

and Sunday through Dec. 18.

Also, Farm Trails lists some 20 tree farms on its map of local farms that

sell produce of all kinds. Phone: 996-2154.