Trees

Welcoming guests to a Baltimore hotel this holiday season will be a Sandy refugee - a tall, graceful Christmas tree that escaped the massive storm's high winds and unexpected snow. The 22-foot-high Douglas fir arrived at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel by the Inner Harbor, where several people spent hours decorating it on Friday. The tree escaped damage last month when the fierce storm ravaged a family tree farm in Garrett County. Thousands of other trees were lost there, according to the longtime owners.

Before they could decorate the Town of Manchester's Christmas tree this week, the class of 21 fifth-graders at Manchester Elementary School had one more critical task to perform. "I forgot to put a hole in the ornaments!" admitted Amy Smith, the students' art teacher, with a chuckle. With the help of a parent, hole punchers were passed out and the students quickly punched holes and put the finishing touches - twisty ties - onto the ornaments they use to bring their hometown into the holiday season.

The city of Baltimore announced Monday it is seeking someone to donate a large evergreen tree to be placed in front of City Hall and decorated for the month of December. The donor will receive a letter of thanks from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "Ideally, the tree should be a spruce or fir tree 25 to 35 feet tall with symmetrical branches and no large holes or gaps. Pine trees with a good shape and branches will also be considered," states a release from Rawlings-Blake's press office.

My young fig tree is on the north side of a fence. Last fall we had one fruit which did not ripen, and that branch died over the winter. This year fruit appeared in late fall but didn't ripen before frost. How do I winterize my fig tree so I get figs? Fig trees are marginally hardy in Maryland. Once frost hits, fruit is no good. The problem is that you can't pick figs underripe either, so occasionally the crop is lost. The more protected and warm the fig's location, the better your chance for successful ripening before frost.

Washington Downtown Holiday Market You'll find some unusual gifts at this year's Downtown Holiday Market, which features products from over 180 artisans and crafters. Browse through houseware, jewelry, paintings, clothes and crafts from around the world, offered at 60 exhibits each day. There will also be live music and entertainment while you shop, as well as food vendors including Shake Shack and Alexa's Empanadas. The market is in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.

Beginning Saturday, Dec. 1, the Laurel Lions Club's Christmas trees sales lot will be open in the parking lot of Laurel Shopping Center, Route 1 at Montrose Avenue. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The club's Christmas tree lot moved from its usual spot in the parking lot of Laurel Mall this year because of the ongoing demolition at the mall. The sales lot will be underneath the new, brown Laurel Shopping Center sign, near Route 1. Sales will continue until all trees are sold.

Just in time for the holiday is this decorative dark putty shard tree by MacKenzie-Childs, the furniture and ceramics company based in upstate New York known for its whimsical handcrafted designs. Sold at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fith Avenue, and other boutiques and retailers, fans of MacKenzie-Childs include Kourtney Kardashian and Goldie Hawn. This 20-inch-high tree is handmade by artisans who work with ceramic shards of items like teacups and flower pots to create a one-of-a-kind product.

Bob Nobles III plans to be a Santa's helper this year. He will distribute toys and other gifts to young people who come to the Kennedy Krieger Institute's upcoming Festival of Trees. But it won't be the first time that the New Windsor teenager has put a smile on someone else's face. Nobles, a junior at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger High School, was chosen as the 2012 ambassador for the holiday gala known as Festival of Trees. Nobles, who has Asperger's Syndrome, is used to public appearances.

Police have identified the contractor who was killed Wednesday when a falling tree crushed him outside Annapolis. The man, whose family members were at the scene, was working to help clear trees downed and weakened by this week's storm, officials said Thursday. Family members told authorities the man was Santiago Lopez, 50, who was living in Annapolis and was originally from Mexico, police said. The man was working in a home's backyard when the tree fell, killing him before emergency workers arrived about 1 p.m., Anne Arundel County Police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said.

A 45-year-old man doing contract work clearing trees after superstorm Sandy in a residential community in Annapolis was killed by a falling tree on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The death is the second caused by a falling tree in Anne Arundel since Sandy entered the region. On Monday night, 74-year-old Donald C. Cannata, Sr. was killed in the kitchen of his Pasadena home after a tree smashed through the roof. In Annapolis, emergency crews first responded shortly before 1 p.m. to the 1600 block of Homewood Road for a report of an injured contractor, said Chief Michael Cox, a fire spokesman.