Oh Christmas Tree (The Green Kind)

I know, I know... here I go again with the trees.

My dad and I always went to a local tree farm and cut down our own tree, going as far back as I can remember. As far as I know, we didn't do it for the experience, really, but more because my dad said that trees sold on lots or in stores were "bad trees" and that as soon as we got one home it would turn brown and lose all of its needles. He would say, "You know sweetheart, they ship those trees from all over the country so by the time they get to those lots you have no idea how long ago they were cut." My dad is all about value, you see. He wants to get his money's worth. My dad and I followed this tradition until I got married, when Justyn and I selected our first tree from Home Depot.

You know by now that I have a thing for trees. I wasn't so sure about the Home Depot thing, because I am my father's daughter, as well as a natural skeptic. But, while looking around at the various sizes and types, a tree that was propped up in the aisle fell on me with no provocation. Seriously, I was the only one there. So, of course, I went to find Justyn, running through each aisle, huffing and puffing, until finally I found him and I said, "Honey!.... (huff and puff)... You'll never believe it!... (huff and puff)... I found our tree!... or actually... (huff and puff)... it found me!!!" And so then I figured, if that tree wanted to be our tree badly enough for it to reach out and grab me, then it must be a good one. And, it was a good tree. It certainly didn't disintegrate 2 days after we got it home. (I tried to find a picture for you, because I do have one somewhere and it's funny because Justyn is wearing a Howard Dean for President t-shirt. No luck, though.)

After that, Justyn and I started buying our trees from a high school tree lot near our house. We figured that was okay, because the money went to the school. But you see, every year, they jacked up their prices. So the first year we got our tree, it was like 45 bucks. Then the next year for the same tree, it was $60. That year, it just so happened that Justyn (who is NOT a football fan) happened to be wearing a Denver Broncos hat that he bought out of necessity to keep his head warm. The guy selling us the tree says, "That'll be $60." Justyn says, "Wow, really? Last year it was only $45." Guy looks at him, sizing him up and noticing the hat, and says, "How 'bout those Broncos?" Justyn made some vague remark, like, "Yeah, how 'bout 'em? I used to live in Denver." (Or something like that having nothing to do with football whatsoever.) The guy says, "Okay, I'll give it to you for $50." Honestly, after that we should have gone elsewhere. But, it was so close to our house. So we kept going. The prices kept creeping up (due to gas prices, they said) and the last year we were there we ended up paying $70 for our tree (they tried to charge us $80).

So, I was actually pretty excited when the season rolled around this year. I know that a lot of the trees sold nationwide come from Oregon, so I was hoping we could get a screaming deal. We went to a little nursery close to our apartment, and scored an awesome tree for only $45!! AND it's taller than our previous trees because we have higher ceilings now than we used to. Granted, it was the first place we went, and we did not shop around at all. In fact, we were driving around the next day and I saw the same kind of trees for only $30. So next year, I know what to look for.

Not only are the trees here less expensive, they are the epitome of every perfect Christmas tree you've ever imagined. Seriously. No Charlie Brown trees here. I remember trying to select a tree in Nashville, and each one had some sort of defect. "That one has a big bald spot on one side." Or, "The top branch is crooked so we won't be able to center the tree topper." Or, "The trunk on that one isn't straight." Or, "That one doesn't have very many needles on it." (I know, I'm picky.) But Oregon trees are different. They're picture perfect, every last one of them. Talk about value! Dad would definitely be proud. See?

Our first Oregon Christmas

So anyway, I have to talk about the environmental impacts of buying a real tree. You see, I've often wondered which is better: to buy a real tree (meaning it gets cut down and has to be replanted) or a fake tree (which means no trees get cut down, but they end up in landfills and have tons of chemicals in them). I decided to do some actual research this year. Here are my results:

Fake trees are generally made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) which is nasty stuff. It has made its way into a lot of consumer products (from yoga mats to children's toys) and the process they use to make PVC is extremely dirty and bad for the environment. I won't get into all that here, but you should know that most artificial trees contain PVC. Not only that, but apparently lead is used to stabilize some PVC products, hence the label on your fake Christmas tree box warning you against inhaling or eating any bits of lead dust that may fall from the "branches". Doesn't that sound like a bundle of holiday joy? I'll bet that would create some fun Christmas memories for you and yours.

A real tree can be a poor substitute also, if you don't choose wisely and act responsibly. What I'm getting at, is that our Home Depot tree purchase probably wasn't the smartest. It's best if you can get them from a small tree lot or a local grower or farm, like my dad and I used to. You know they'll replant them, and that's important. You should also know that trees are just like any other agricultural product, and can contain insecticides, pesticides, and all that other funky stuff. So if that's important to you, ask about it before you buy.

In addition, after Christmas I see an obscene amount of Christmas trees on the side of the road or in garbage cans. People! You can recycle your tree! We used to take ours to a local park where they would chip them up and use them for mulch or trail building. You can call your city's waste management office to find a recycling center near you, or the Earth911 website has a search tool that can be helpful. Just make sure you take off all your decorations! (Speaking of decorations, have you changed your tree lights to LEDs yet? Do it! They use less electricity, and won't scorch your fingers since they don't get hot!)

So, in my opinion, a real tree is the best way to go if you're smart about it. Make sure you support local,make sure it will get replanted, get pesticide free if you can, and recycle. Of course, if you're really concerned about it, don't get a tree at all. In the interest of full disclosure, that's really the most environmentally responsible thing to do. But, I just can't bring myself to give it up.

There'll be some radio silence from me while I'm traveling, so I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season, fake tree, real tree, or no tree at all.