just right for digging a hole.  Yup, it’s time to dig a hole before the ground gets too frozen.  Now, why do I want you to dig a hole?  For your Christmas tree of course, that is if you celebrate Christmas and are planning on buying a live tree to replant.

Christmas reminders are everywhere and some people are beginning to think about a tree.  Should you buy a live tree, a cut tree, or a plastic tree (otherwise known as artificial)? Well, the choice is really yours but truthfully live and cut trees are probably the most sustainable.  They will never end up in a land fill and they won’t off-gas in your home.  Live trees can be planted to continue growing.  Cut trees are sustainable because tree farmers will replant another tree when one is cut down.

You can find out more information on live Christmas trees here.  They give you excellent tips for caring for you tree.  However, I do want to relate a little story to help you prepare if you want to have a live tree.

I have a friend who loved the idea of planting her Christmas tree once she was done with it inside.  So she purchase a nice sized tree that was in a container.  Her first obstacle was getting the tree home.  Unlike a cut tree that can go on your car roof, or a plastic tree that comes in a box, you have to be careful with your container tree.  You must not break off the leader (top) of the tree or it will grow funny.  Also, the tree will be very heavy due to the soil around it’s roots. 

With help at the tree farm, my friend got her tree in her car and got it home.  At home though there was no one to help her unload this heavy tree.  So she finally enlisted the help of neighbors and got the tree into her living room. 

She enjoyed the tree and after Christmas took off the decorations and proceeded to prepare to take her tree outside.  The tree seemed to be heavier and she realized that since she had watered the tree while it was indoors, it was heavier than when she brought it in.  She did not want to enlist the help of the several neighbors to get the tree out of the house.  So, she began dragging the tree to the door.  It was so heavy she could only move it a bit at a time.  It took a month to get the tree to the door and then she couldn’t lift it over the threshold.  In the end the tree died, but was still so heavy she just had to let it sit in her foyer until the soil was dry.  Of course by this time the needles fell off too.

I tell you this story not to discourage you from buying a live tree, but to prepare you.  Have a system planned for getting the tree in and later out of your house.  And have your hole ready for the tree.  If you have pre-dug your hole, fill it with leaves and cover it with a tarp so it won’t fill with snow or be so frozen that the tree won’t fit.  Also, you will need soil to go around the root ball of the tree.  Either have bags of soil somewhere where they won’t freeze, or store the soil removed from the hole in a place where it won’t freeze.

If you have the room, you could have some beautiful trees to remind you of the special time you’ve spent with your family.  You also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping the environment by keeping the tree alive.  But if you don’t have room, you don’t need to feel guilty about buying a cut tree. Look for a grower that uses organic practices.   This is a sustainable option and one that can also benefit wildlife.  Here’s how to re-use your cut tree as a winter bird feeding station.

Now if we’d just get some snow……