O, Christmas Tree

By:  Stephanie Benney

There is something so magical about a Christmas tree.  Maybe it is not the tree itself, but more the memories and traditions attached to it; then again, maybe it is.  Ok, maybe it’s both.

Every year, my family and I would set out to SkiTree Farm in search of the perfect Frasier Fur.  My brother and I would get lost running through rows and rows of Christmas trees in feet and feet of snow.  After careful evaluation of what seemed like hundreds of trees, we would all watch as Dad used his rusty handsaw to make the first cut into the trunk of  “the chosen one”.  Once he got a good groove going, he would let Jason and me take turns cutting the tree until it was ready to fall to the snowy ground; the air would become filled with it’s aromatic fragrance.

For me, there was always something about the feel of the soft needles and branches in my hands.  It’s almost as if it had a calming effect on me and washed a wave of tranquility over me.  It was also how I made a connection every year to my Christmas tree; one living thing to another.  I would get lost in the lights and the stories behind every ornament that had been strategically placed on it’s branches; I still do.

With the depletion of land and resources of our great planet consuming our minds and our actions, it is likely that many, who have shared the same childhood Christmas tree memories will be leery about cutting down their family Christmas tree; it isn’t as bad as everyone thinks.

Christmas tree farms are often grown on soil unsuitable for producing other crops, stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide homes for woodland creatures.  The environmentally responsible decision is still having a live tree. A real Christmas tree absorbs carbon dioxide and other gases, emitting fresh oxygen, preventing the Greenhouse Effect. One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.  With approximately one million acres producing Christmas trees in the United States, this translates into daily oxygen for 18 million people.  Many tree farms have a seeding program, planting multiple seedlings in the place of every 1 Christmas tree cut down.

What about artificial trees?  Most artificial trees are composed of plastics, metals and other non-biodegradable materials and manufactured in Korea or Taiwan.  Once disposed of, they will never deteriorate.

Instead of staring at the dead carcass of your tree at the curb after the holiday season is over, get creative!  There are many solutions for recycling the life and spirit of your tree. Branches can be chopped and used as mulch, made into bird feeders and the fir tree foliage can be stripped and used as stuffing for aromatic pillows.

Probably one of the most famous Christmas trees in the United States is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.  An example of good environmental stewardship, the Rockefeller tree 2010 was milled into lumber and used to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.  The various parts of the tree that were not able to be used for lumber were made into special paper used in the book The Carpenter’s Gift; a great gift for a child teaching her/him the story of The Rockefeller tree(www.habitat.org).

My wish for you is that you welcome a beautiful tree into your home every year and continue to experience the true meaning of Christmas and memory-making with those who are the most important.

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com