Article: The fir is flying in San Jose, Calif., as shoppers buy real Christmas trees.

Byline: Michele Chandler

Dec. 2--Rick and Judy Varley hadn't bought a real Christmas tree in a decade, after their children grew up and moved away. Like an increasing number of Americans, they switched to an artificial tree so real looking that visitors always asked whether it was live or fake.

But this year, the Campbell couple decided to leave their artificial tree in the garage for the holidays and embarked on an expedition at a San Jose lot in search of the freshest, fullest real Christmas tree.

Judy Varley gave several reasons for the about-face. Their fake tree is getting hard to put together after years of use. They're about to host a ...

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