Recycling Your Christmas Tree

Well, it’s New Year’s Eve and it is time for out with the old and that includes your live Christmas tree.  I love live trees because they smell so good, but then there is always the question of what to do with it when you are done. Of course, you could always just put it on the side of the curb for trash pickup, but aren’t there some better, greener solutions? There are! First, many communities are now offering Christmas tree recycling pick-ups.  And, if your community doesn’t offer pick-up, they may at least have a location you can take … Continue reading

Disney Characters in North Korea

The kind of thing Disney’s after This is a story too bizarre not to report: on Monday July 9 Mickey Mouse, along with other Disney characters, appeared on North Korean television with the country’s new leader, Kim Jong-Un (son of Kim Jong-Il). No, Disney is not sending representatives to the isolationist country. These were images of Walt Disney Company characters used without permission. The use presents some interesting questions that reflect upon Disney’s own corporate policy. The New York Times’ Media Decoder explains. You see, Disney is very strict about unauthorized use of its properties. The company complained to Mexican … Continue reading

Christmas Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

You are looking at my daughter’s Christmas tree selection. And no, she is not a direct descendent of Charlie Brown. In fact, her choice in Tannenbaum proves that the apple can in fact fall far, far, far from the tree… Christmas or otherwise. Allow me to draw your attention to Exhibit B. This is a photo of the Christmas tree I selected for our family. You wouldn’t know it by looking at my daughter’s true blue love, but we are one of the 27 million American households that opt to buy a live tree for Christmas. For decades I’ve shunned … Continue reading

Christmas Allergy and Asthma Triggers to Avoid

The holiday season may not be “the most wonderful time of the year” for children who have asthma, or environmental allergies. There are a lot of allergens in the air, and in your home, due to the way we celebrate Christmas. Parents who are aware of these allergy and asthma triggers might be able to prevent their child from having a severe reaction. Oh, Christmas tree! How lovely are your branches. How abundant are the allergens you put into air! The Christmas tree that is sitting inside your living room might be the source of your child’s allergy or asthma … Continue reading

Gather These Holiday Things Now to Save

Don’t wait until right before Christmas if you want to save on decorations and gifts. There are several times throughout the year where items go on deep discount. These things are perfect for the holidays and will actually much more expensive in December. Here is your seasonal guide telling you what to gather for the holidays. New Years Grab all of those after Christmas specials when they reach 90 percent off and store them with your current items when you take down your Christmas tree and decorations. Don’t forget any shiny new year decorations that don’t have the year on … Continue reading

Tying Knots on Trees

This past week my family and I decided to get an early start on the upcoming holiday season. We got in a car the day before Thanksgiving and selected a Christmas tree for our home. This is the first year we were going to have a real tree in our home for the holiday season. Last year we happily purchased a three foot tall fake tree with lights. There is a photograph somewhere of my holding our very young son in front of the tree as he stared wide eyed looking at the small lights. As he is older this … Continue reading

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We finally got our Christmas tree on Thursday. Because it’s a real tree and summer here in Australia we can’t afford to buy the tree too early. A week is about right. Given the cost of them this year, possibly because of the drought that covers 80 percent of Australia, it’s a smaller tree than usual. Couldn’t justify the extra expense to get a bigger one. Anyway, it’s still got that Christmas tree smell. Putting the Christmas tree up turned into a funny exercise with Mick a screwing the screw into the stand while I held the tree firmly. Meanwhile, … Continue reading

Care and Feeding of a Live Christmas Tree

Live Christmas trees are becoming more and more popular as people become more environmentally conscious. Live Christmas trees are sold with the root ball in tact to be used as Christmas trees for the holiday and to then be planted afterward. Instead of paying for a tree dispose of after the holidays and then buying a new tree to plant for the year, homeowners can kill two birds with one stone with the purchase of a live Christmas tree. When choosing a live Christmas tree, be sure to consider what evergreen trees will grow well where you live. Also, avoid … Continue reading

The “Live” Christmas Tree

I thought that Libby did a great job laying out all of the pros and the cons in the real versus fake Christmas tree debate and how these choices relate to green living. But there was another choice that many people don’t know about, and I wanted to talk a little bit about that today in my post. The third option when it comes to Christmas trees is to select a live tree. A live tree is a real, grown tree that comes with its root ball in tact. The tree is not killed to become decoration. Rather, it can … Continue reading

Fake Christmas Tree or Real Christmas Tree?

If you are trying to adopt a green lifestyle, you may find yourself conflicted when thinking about Christmas trees. What should you do? Is purchasing an artificial tree and reusing it year after year more eco-friendly than using a real tree each year? Below are a list of pros and cons for both artificial and real Christmas trees. Artificial Pros: – New artificial trees are looking more and more realistic every year. – Some artificial trees come with snow and pre-lit lights, so they can be time-savers too. – Artificial trees are more convenient than real trees. – Artificial trees … Continue reading