12 Days of Blogmas: Day 1 🎄

On the first day of Christmas, GingerLeafLiving gave to me………………………….. A lifelong Christmas tree!

Happy December friends! It’s the last month of 2024 and a particularly festive one at that. Whether you celebrate Christmas, a different tradition or just the joy of another year, this series will provide you with 12 seasonal reminders for living more sustainable lives. First up, the Christmas tree!

A staple in many households, the Christmas tree is the pinnacle of festive magic, and we can all make sure ours brings only good things this Christmas. If you have a plastic tree, make sure to invest in a good quality one that can be used every year from purchase onwards. While plastic pollution is a huge issue of our times (not helped by certain treaties not being signed *cough cough*), the best thing you can do with a plastic tree is reuse it every year, and hand it down when you’re finished with it.

If you don’t have a plastic one and really want to opt for a real tree, the best decision you can make is to have a potted tree, so that your tree can keep living and can be reused every year. You could plant one yourself (see one I made earlier in photo below), or use a Christmas tree rental service, where you can return your tree after the festive period to be cared for until next year (Here’s an example of one rental service, but you might find one near to you). It seems such a shame to cut down a living thing after so many years of growth, so if you can enjoy your tree multiple times (before it reaches a height where it needs permanently planting) and it can carry on its carbon sequestration for the rest of the year, this option sounds like a win-win!

Finally, if a potted tree won’t work for your home, make sure to pick a tree that is certified to be from a sustainably manged forest and dispose of it responsibly after Christmas. Your local council or recycling centre should be able to recycle your tree into woodchips or compost for you, but never plant your tree into the wild or dump it as these trees are not native and can disrupt local environments.

I hope this got you in the spirit to care for your Christmas tree, and remember, trees aren’t just for Christmas, we need them all year round! Have fun rockin’ around yours, and I’ll see you all for Day 2 soon 🎄

Useful resource and reference: https://www.wwf.org.uk/top-tips-sustainable-christmas