fir · Abies fraseri
Fraser Fir Christmas trees
The safe answer, and usually the right one.
If you want one recommendation and no further questions, this is it. Fraser fir holds its needles better than anything else we grow, which matters if the tree goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving and comes down after New Year.
The branches are stiff enough for the heavy ornaments, the ones that have been in the family long enough to have a story. On a white pine those same ornaments hang at an angle and slide.
Needles are short, blunt and soft, so decorating it is not a fight, and the gaps between the branch layers leave room for ornaments to hang free rather than sitting against the next branch down.
The scent is real but restrained. If you want the room to smell like Christmas from the hallway, take a balsam instead.