Stores are filled with Christmas ornaments in a multitude of colors. And often they are grouped by color to make it easier to do theme trees.

Some stores also have colored, artificial Christmas trees to mesh with the whole themed-tree idea. But what if you get it home and decided one year of a pink tree is enough?New this year is a stain that allows Christmas tree farmers to paint live trees. The latex-based stain is food grade, explained Bill Fetterholf, owner of Tree Teck Inc. and Pioneer Evergreen Farms in Orwigsburg."Kids and pets might get sick if they eat the pine needles, but the paint won't hurt them," he said.The stain is also cleaner and more vibrant than flocking on a tree. Fetterholf explained that flocking will crumble and fall off, which can be a mess. But the stain stays put.It's also safe for the trees.Fetterholf said that it should be applied in the field after the trees have gone dormant in October, because the breathing tip in the tree branches won't be affected. Come spring, the tree can sprout buds just like it would normally do.The stain was developed by Kirk Corp. in Wisconsin, Fetterholf said. The company had produced a green enhancer, but this is the first year for the colors, which come in pink, blue, purple, white, red and even black."One of the hot colors is the light blue from the movie 'Frozen,' " Fetterholf said. "That is the dead ringer."Gives a new meaning to blue spruce.Purple has also been popular. With the passing of pop star Prince, people have been doing themed trees in his honor, he said.Locally, Chris Botek, the owner of Crystal Spring Tree Farm, and Lee Walker, owner of Walker's Tree Farm, both in Lehighton, have created some colored trees in their fields.Botek said he was a little iffy about the idea when Fetterholf demonstrated it this summer at a meeting of the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association. But public comment has changed his mind."I can't tell you how many people have come in the farm commenting on the colored trees," he said. "They're a big hit with children."Botek thinks the strongest market for the colored Christmas trees is as a secondary tree for a child's room or as a theme tree in another room of the house. He is thinking about setting up a page on the farm's website that will allow people to order a tree, select the type of tree, size and color. Then come Christmas, it's just a matter of picking it up at the farm."I think it could be a hit," he said.The stain is applied to each and every branch with a regular paint sprayer. Botek tested it out in July. He said the hardest part was not getting it on the tree next to it."I can't believe the longevity," he said, adding the paint looks as good today as it did in July.Botek also has learned that the best time to apply the stain is when the winds are calm and the branches are dry."Weather conditions are the biggest obstacle," he said.Lee Walker has several colored Christmas trees in his field and also uses the stain on his wreaths, evergreen kissing balls or cemetery blankets. It takes about four hours for the paint to dry completely, he said.He tested the stain last year and said that when the buds pop, they are a natural green. The only difference from the other trees is that the colored ones are "pink and green trees," he said.As for price, the colored trees do cost a little more than the natural green Christmas trees.There has to be some extra charge, because of the cost of labor and paint, Botek said.