Some Green Ideas for Your Old Christmas Trees!

There is no need in just chunking that tree into the landfill. Those trees provided us with many of our natural needs while alive and it can be just as use full dead. That is unless you buy a live tree to begin with. Live trees are a bit more expensive up front but can make a nice addition to your home or you can donate to a community or landscape in need. Think about it! Now back to the old trees whoms lives were sacrificed for our enjoyment.
1) Habitats for wildlife! Two or three in a pond or lake makes a wonderful home for fish. Strip all the limbs but a couple to hang bird feeders or leave the limbs and add food for squirrels.
2) Make firewood! The small limbs and bark make fantastic kindling. Strip off needles or at least as many as you can first. The wood makes fantastic fire wood and makes the house smell great.(pine)
3) Make a habitat for vine climbing plants! eg Clematis or Morning Glory. Just sink the trunk in the ground and the rest is left to your imagination. You can leave all the limbs or just some and let the vines do their thing.
4) Make art! Sink the trunk in ground after stripping some lower limbs and add different colored bottles on the limbs. Very fly!
5) Walking Stick! Hell it's cold outside and you got nothing better to do with your God given talents, so put them to use. Strip all the limbs, whittle a little bit(a lot) and sand to perfection. The wood is beautiful and can be stained or left alone.
6) Mulch! Look up the nearest county dump/mulch yard. Most of these places will let you dump your tree for free and you can come back in spring and buy back your tree, as mulch!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! God Bless!
If any of you take it upon yourselves to attempt these, please share the results!(unless its mulch!)
Penn Mattison

The best green part of Christmas...

Since winter isn't the time to think about green lawns...let's talk about green trees. Here are a few fun facts about the traditions behind Christmas trees:

Roman Times

• The Christmas tree is thought to predate Christianity by centuries. Ancient Romans decorated trees with bits of metal during their winter festival. It is thought December 25th was chosen as the birth of Jesus Christ to overtake the pagan holiday (after all, shepherds did not tend flock in the dead of winter!).

Middle Ages

• During the Middle Ages, evergreen trees were decorated with apples and called the Paradise tree to celebrate the feast of Adam and Eve and held on the 24th of December.

1500's

• The "traditional" Christmas tree appeared in the 1500's in Germany. They were sold in markets and set up in homes without any ornaments or decorations.

1600's

• Trees at this time were decorated with paper roses, candies, nuts, apples and red paper.
• Tinsel was made out of real silver, however tarnished quickly with the mixture of candlelight, which was used on the trees at that time.

1700's

• Decorations at this were carefully quilted snowflakes and stars, sewing little pockets for secret gifts and sugared almonds.
• Silver tinsel was imported from Germany as well as small beaded decorations.
• Candles were placed in wooden hoops for safety.

1800's

• Along with many handmade ornaments, glass became popular at this time.
• One's social and financial status could be defined by how many glass ornaments were on your tree.

1900's

• During WWI in Europe it was illegal to cut down an evergreen, most families hid away their heirloom ornaments in precious metal boxes to keep them safe.
• The first National American Christmas tree was light at the Whit House in 1923 by President Coolidge.
• Trees became popular again after WWII.
• Trees changed in the '60s with the revolution of plastics; Silver aluminum tree were everywhere, including a revolving multi colored light which allowed the tree to shine in different colors, no decorations were needed for these "hip" trees

Sidenote: Nicoles' dad still has his grandmother's original silver aluminum tree in mint condition, it is a true family heirloom!

Happy Holidays to ALL