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While a Christmas tree hardly seems worth bringing home these days if it doesn't tower over all the furniture and take up most of the living room, the original concept started by Queen Victoria was for a simple, diminutive tabletop tree.

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For people wishing to go back to the era, or facing the practicality of a small apartment or even the need for a mobile tree as they prepare to exit their residences for Christmas somewhere else, a perfect solution is the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla.)

A native of Chile and Argentina, it is now widely available in local supermarkets and nurseries and is the houseplant of choice for those looking for a touch of festive greenery without too much effort.

If you decide to purchase one, either as a tabletop Christmas tree or as a lovely new houseplant to stand alone, make sure the one you purchases has four branches on each tier. The tiers (where the branches emerge from the main trunk) should also be closely spaced.

That's important because as the tree grows from a perch on a sunny windowsill, it will keep a nice symmetrical shape.

The potted pine is relatively maintenance free, though it does need to be kept evenly moist. You'll know if you've neglected it too much and allowed the soil to dry out because it will start to lose branches and needles.

At Christmas, you can decorate your Norfolk pine with twinkling lights and light-weight ornaments. If you decide for purposes of decoration to move it around your house at Christmas, make sure to put it back into a sunny window once the holiday is over so it can continue to flourish.

If it doesn't get about six hours of sunshine a day, it will grow spindly and disagreeable. Remember to also rotate it gradually each week to keep it growing in a symmetrical fashion.

Over time, the little tabletop tree can actually grow to a height of six feet.