THE jolly green giants are back in town -- and they're looking for good homes over the festive period. At Gordon Rigg's Garden Centre in Todmorden, staff will take delivery of 8,000 Christmas trees before the big day -- a pine-needle mountain!

They arrive on pallets on board huge container lorries which have travelled from far-flung woodlands in Ireland, Scotland and Holland.

Assistant manager Ken Bradshaw said: "We take a 1,000 at a time -- and the staff here have to unload them all.

"It's a back-breaking job."

Once upon a time you could guarantee that the tree you took home before Christmas would have dropped most of its needles all over the carpet by New Year's Day. These days, though, it doesn't have to happen.

Scots pines, Nordmans and Nobles have been added to the traditional spruce and after three or four weeks in a centrally-heated lounge they won't end up looking like skeletons from a petrified forest.

Ken said: "It's a very busy time for us. We're open right through the weekends but we also get a lot of people wanting to come in the evenings. So we stay open until 9pm."

Those customers come from far and wide -- Ken has sold trees to people who were taking them back to Scotland and the south of England.

They come handily wrapped, too, thanks to a machine which pushes them through a metal funnel into a special bag.

And Christmas starts early at Gordon Rigg's. Ken said: "We start selling trees well before the end of November.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE

* DECIDE on where you will place the tree. Will it be seen from all sides or will some of it be up against a wall? Be sure to choose a spot away from heat sources, such as TVs, fireplaces, radiators and air ducts. Place the tree clear of doors.

* MEASURE the height and width of the space you have available in the room where the tree will be placed. There is nothing worse than bringing a tree indoors only to find it's too tall. Take a tape measure with you to measure your chosen tree.

* CHOOSE a fresh tree, which will have a healthy green appearance with few browning needles. Needles should be flexible and not fall off if you run a branch through your hand. Raise the tree a few inches off the ground and drop it on the butt end. Green needles should not drop off the tree. It is normal for a few inner brown needles to drop off.

Make sure the handle or base of the tree is straight and 6-8 inches long so it will fit easily into the stand.

Do a little research on different Christmas tree types. Some Christmas tree varieties will hold needles longer than others.

If you're going to a tree farm or plantation where you can cut your own, be prepared for a day in the country. Wear comfortable shoes and old clothes. Take rain gear if the weather is threatening. The "cutter downers" and the "loader uppers" should also have gloves.