So apparently, real Christmas trees are better for the environment than the artificial ones.
Getting a real one for Christmas was not an option for me this year, but in case you were on the fence, I highly recommend it.
For starters, getting a real tree is way more fun and involved than a fake one. Fake ones come in a box and are pretty anti-climatic. I know this because I opened the same box this year that I opened last year. Searching for a Christmas tree, whether you prefer the perfectly symmetrical ones or the Charlie Brown pathetic ones I took pity on, it is a great experience.
Real trees also smell amazing and I'm pretty sure even if I hung tree-scented air fresheners all over our fake one, it wouldn't be the same. In many cases, too, buying real trees supports local farmers and helps employ people during this season.
I know cleaning up needles for a month is kind of a pain and so is figuring out where to put the tree when the holiday is over, but it's worth it, I promise.
Plus, they are good for the environment! My friend tipped me off on this after watching a segment on the news and I looked it up and found information on the National Christmas Tree Association at http://www.christmastree.org.
Their website brought up several good points that my friend mentioned and I hadn't considered about real Christmas trees, but now seem pretty obvious.
As with all plants, real Christmas trees take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. I know many of them get cut down this season, but hey, that time they are up and growing makes a difference in our environment
Apparently, they are also sometimes grown on soil that doesn't support other types of crops, according to the tree association. Neat, right?
As I'm sure you know, real trees are also biodegradable and artificial ones are not. It's easy to counter that by pointing out the longevity of artificial trees, but eventually, one day they will end up being thrown away.
I've also heard about the trees you buy in burlap bags and once Christmas is over, you can plant them in your own yard. It's pretty cool and when I have an expansive yard, I think I may do that if only for a few years. Otherwise I'll end up with a forest in my backyard!
In Harford County, too, there are plenty of options when it comes to buying a real tree for Christmas. Just by driving around and running errands over the weekend I passed several, including the lot across the street from Best Buy and Harford Mall and one off Route 543 in Street.
Another neat thing I learned this year was from a story I wrote last Friday, about the Christmas tree on Broadway in Bel Air. The man I spoke to used LED lights and although I knew they were energy efficient, I don't think I realized to what extent.
He lit up his 55-foot Christmas tree with approximately 30 strings amounting to 2,000 lights and after all of that, powering it was like turning on a 60-watt light bulb, he said.
How cool is that?
I know that this time of year can be rough on the wallet, especially in our fragile economy. But I also think there are many ways to save money, be environmentally friendly and still celebrate this holiday to the fullest.
In terms of presents, I have become quite crafty. I didn't do it for everyone this year but I did incorporate some homemade gifts and I'll admit, I'm pretty proud of myself.
Just do a quick web search and you can probably find something that suits your tastes and ability. You can ask my husband, I'm not exactly artistically inclined as we discovered through my projects this year, but I found some crafts that worked for me.
I'd tell you which ones but that would ruin the surprise!
Christmas can be a very rushed and stressful time of the year, but I think that it's important to remember the significance of this holiday and what it means to you and your family.
Also, seeing as I won't have another column until after the new year, I'm wishing you all a very merry Christmas and I hope it rocks.