Douglass fir is by far the best real tree we have ever used for Christmas.  Needles stay on much longer than pines or spruces. They suck up a lot of water, but only because we are putting it near windows so some sun can get in and it can continute to photosynthesize (which prolongs the life of the tree!).

  I am a Christmas Tree grower in CNY. Fraser Fir now has become a favorite of growers and buyers.  They have the best needle retention of all and excellent shape, but are slow growers so they cost more to produce.  Douglas Fir has a wonderful citrus-y fragrance!!
  Please be extra sure this year to recut the stump of your tree and give it very hot/warm water at first to open up the cells that drink when putting up your tree. This year was a dry year for many growers and there is a potential for somewhat more needle loss this Christmas. Also once in awhile a genetically weak tree will lose more needles than it's brother.(LOL)  Hopefully the consumer won't give up on buying a fresh tree for having bad luck in one year. Christmas tree growers usually replace their harvested trees every year with new transplants so that cutting a tree doesn't harm the environment, but actually utilizes farmer fields, that perhaps under other circumstances go unplanted, or used for hay( sometimes an inferior type of).