apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you have a particular soda obsession, you can build one with the leftover bottles.

http://freshpics.blogspot.com/2006/12/mountain-dew-xmas-tree.html

I like the potted tree idea - we've decorated the eucalyptus a few times, and did paper snowflakes on a tall, bare branch in a pot once.

Here's what Wiki has to say about it:

"There is some debate as to whether artificial or real trees are better for the natural environment. Artificial trees are usually made out of PVC, a toxic material which is often stabilised with lead. Some trees have a warning that dust or leaves from the tree should not be eaten or inhaled. A small amount of real-tree material is used in some artificial trees. For instance, the bark of a real tree can be used to surface an artificial trunk. Polyethylene trees are less toxic, though more expensive, than PVC trees.[12]

Artificial trees can be used for many years, but are usually non-recyclable, ending up in landfills. Real trees are used only for a short time, but can be recycled and used as mulch or used to prevent erosion.[13] Real trees also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while growing.

Live trees are typically grown as a crop and replanted in rotation after cutting, often providing suitable habitat for wildlife. In some cases management of Christmas tree crops can result in poor habitat since it involves heavy input of pesticides. Organically grown Christmas trees are available in some markets, and as with many other crops, are widely held to be better for the environment."

I always go for live trees, and my co-op collects the dead ones each year to make mulch for the coming spring.

Potted is a good option if you have somewhere to keep it. Otherwise, I'd say go for the live cut one, organic if possible, for the reasons mentioned in Joy's comment. Besides, it's not Christmas unless your house smells like pine or fir.

With kids, I suggest a cut-your-own tree farm. Totally fun, and usually small businesses.

Also: a cut Christmas tree is essentially a very large bouquet, so consider all of AT's pro-flower arguments.

We have the Charlie Brown Christmas tree from Urban Outfitters. Fake, so we can reuse it. Small, so we can easily store it [and little waste if we ever get rid of it, which I can't see doing]. Just wire, wood, and paper wrapping, so no off-gassing.

Did I mention adorable? I managed to shape it to look exactly like the one in the cartoon. Love.

Looks like they also have a Whoville one now, which is pretty awesome, too.

I'm 100% in favor of real trees. Not only are they nicer, aesthetically, but they're much more efficient for their entire lifespan.

As someone above said, the farms can act as habitats for animals, and they're trees so they offset at least a little bit of carbon dioxide. The farms are often relatively small operations, and the trees are pretty easy to buy through small locally owned businesses.

There's no plastic in a real tree, so aside from maybe a little fertilizer there are no petroleum products used in its production. It doesn't off-gas in your house (ok, I guess technically you could call that lovely spruce smell off gassing...). After the holidays, a real tree can be composted or turned into mulch, and even if it goes into a landfill, it's organic matter that will biodegrade easily.

You don't have to find room to store a real tree in your home all year, which lessens your real estate footprint (a lot of people I've talked to justify living in a behemoth of a house because "we have all this stuff!"). You don't have to feel guilty when the tree starts to look a little fusty after a few years and you buy a new one even though the whole point of a fake one was to avoid doing that. A real tree still looks classy with cheap/free/recycled/improvised decorations on it. A real tree prevents you from getting sucked into that bizarre marketing phenomenon where the Holidays start the week before Halloween and don't end till sometime in the middle of January.

As you can tell, I'm a little bit partial to my real Christmas trees.

They sometimes have vintage aluminum trees on eBay, as well as brand new ones. They can be expensive, but they sure are metallic.

I have an artificial tree made of feathers. The stem is metal wrapped in paper. Very Martha Stewart.

Can you use something that you already have? Could be a chance to be creative and unique

My parents had a Norfolk Island pine in the house that was used as a tree. It wasn't your canonical Christmas tree, but it worked fine for decorating.

I use a real tree that get shredded for mulch afterwards. It is on about a week before Xmas and I try to keep it until the Epiphany (12th day of Xmas) but I do not always succeed. Sometimes it dries too quickly

The apartment building I lived in before this one stipulated "No real trees" stating that they were a fire hazard. So are stoves, but they allowed them!!!

I used to get a real tree, then went to an artificial -- now I don't have a tree, and I'm pondering alternatives. In former treeless years, I have done various things, including a Norfolk pine (you have to have really light decorations -- I had the friends at my Christmas party make construction paper decorations that year), tree shaped Christmas cards in a tree shape on the wall, decorating a potted plant... If I had kids, I'd try to do a real tree, which can be mulched, but since I don't, I'm going to get creative.

The motto/creed is REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE so follow that and reduce by not purchasing new and you'll also be able to reuse the vintage tree with the purchase and for years to come if you take care of it.

check the online auction sites and local vintage shops for a previously owned aluminum tree

I'm from northern Michigan, and growing up our Christmas trees were usually cut from the woods around where we lived. We'd go out as a family on my birthday (Dec.8) every year, trampling through the snow, arguing over which was better. Then when the holidays were over it was burned in the woodstove to heat the house.

We go back to our hometown for the holidays now so we don't bother with a tree, but if we did I'd do it that way. I also think it would be nice to buy a live potted tree every year and plant it after.

Wow... I must have REALLY wanted to comment on this, because I actually registered, which I've been avoiding doing like the plague!!!

Anyways... I don't know if I can post an image to pics, so I'm going just give you the link to my online journal where I have pics of my tree! If you want to make it "green," you could probably use reclaimed lumber, or non-treated lumber. And... if you ever tire of it, or if it just eventually falls to pieces, you can use it as kindling!

Honestly, my dad had a six foot version of this tree when I was a child that looked much more magnificent than my little 2 1/2-footer. But... it's fantastic for showcasing ornaments... which my father collected from all over the world (he was in the military).

Hope this helps! Good luck finding a tree this year!

Your point is very interesting, there are not many people that thing about a green Christmas. I appreciate the original idea but I wouldn't come with an aluminum tree, specially if you have kids in the house. I suppose you could vote for an artificial tree, at least they look more traditional. Prelit trees could work pretty well.