Sprucing up the Season

Christmas is in just one day, & if you’re part of the nearly 80% of households (ACTA) in the US that celebrates the holiday season with a Christmas tree, congratulations! This post is for you.

Season’s Greetings!

In many places around the world, the modern day Christmas tree ~ all decorated, with presents & stockings placed below ~ has become a symbol for the holiday, whether in reverence of religious ritual or revving up for retailers reigning in revenue. This common (& now heavily commercialized) holiday tradition was not always so readily accepted or widely practiced. Historically it might come as no shock that the act of decorating trees for the holiday was once outlawed!

The history & origin of cutting down an evergreen tree to brighten your abode during the darkest days of the year (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) is wrapped up in pagan winter solstice celebrations where evergreen boughs (not necessarily whole trees) were sought as celebratory décor to symbolize vitality & enduring life when dormancy & death reign with icy fingers.

You may have heard of Yule or Yuletide too, wherein the actual cutting, display, & eventual burning of evergreen coniferous trees (in fireplaces, etc.) is historically in a multiday celebration of the Sun God’s — with different names across various cultures — slow return to full health after the darkest day of winter has passed (Winter Solstice). The countries of Lithuania & Estonia both have laid claim in our modern age to the origins of the first “Christmas tree” around the 1400’s, likely as part of Winter Solstice rituals & festivities. Fast forward to the 16th century, however & we find that German territories historically appear as the region most credited with establishing the adorned Yule or Christmas tree inside one’s home that we most know & recognize now as a cherished part of the Christmas celebration related to Christianity.

For more complex deep dive into the pagan historical significance & Christian adaptation of traditional natural elements, such as the use of evergreen conifers, I suggest checking out the linked source articles.

“Nowadays, it is a small percentage — approximately 18% — of the US population that decide to have a real Christmas tree in their homes for the holiday.”

Life in Plastic or Au Natural?

As a lifelong Oregonian, going to a neighborhood tree farm or a nearby national forest (with a permit) in search of the perfect Charlie Brown tree to cut & haul home is an integral memory, as it is for many in the PNW & other northern latitude states, provinces, & countries. In fact, Oregon leads the nation in the growth & harvest of Christmas trees!

But just how sustainable is this tradition? That is a question that each year many folks find themselves posing.

As the decades progress & concerns over individual climate impacts increase, many folks may feel conflicted over their tradition of cutting down a coniferous tree for a short-lived stint in our homes. The majority of households these days, however, opt out of getting a freshly cut tree for their artificial counterparts, which first came around in the 19th Century in Germany. Then the US-based toilet brush company — yes, you read that right — Addis Brush took it a step further in 1930 to eventually get to the primarily PVC trees that are seen today. Nowadays, it is a small percentage — approximately 18% — of the US population that decide to have a real Christmas tree in their homes for the holiday.

It is true — artificial trees are frequently constructed of polyvinyl chloride plastic, or PVC, which has its own host of environmental & human health concerns. Not to mention petroleum-based and created at petrochemical facilities. Studies have also linked PVC plastic to cancer and other public health and environmental risks. naturally grown trees have their own life cycle inputs to consider too — from site preparation & drought mitigation to harvest, transport & sound disposal practices. So, which route should you take? As long as your artificial tree lasts you about a decade (or more!) it should result in lower carbon outputs than if you were to get a new live tree each of those ten years. But that’s a big commitment & not everyone can store an artificial tree.

So, to wrap it all up (with a bow of your choosing) if you go au natural, you should try to stay as local as possible — not too hard for us in the PNW! But for folks where this is tougher, an artificial tree might be the better course of sustainable action. Just plan to reuse that tree for as many years as possible. It takes 6+ years before the benefits of an artificial tree exceed those of cutting an annual naturally grown Christmas tree. For your live cut trees, consider how you will dispose of your tree as well — will you mulch it instead of trash it? Use it for firewood to warm your winter nights? Also, potted living Christmas trees for purchase & rental are rapidly growing in popularity as a way to retain the carbon-consuming benefits of planted trees without annually cutting a tree down for your celebrations. You could even possibly rent the same tree a few years in a row if you’re lucky!

Whatever your celebratory Christmas traditions — to tree or not to tree, to go artificial or au natural, to take a family trip out to the local tree farm or cut from national forestland, try to conserve your resources & make the most of your décor! Merry Christmas to those that celebrate & wishing a Happy New Year to all!

Sources

McKeever, Amy. “Why do we have Christmas trees? The surprising history behind this holiday tradition.” National Geographic. 2020. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/christmas-tree-customs
History.com Editors. “History of Christmas Trees.” History. Updated 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees
Ramirez, Rachel. “Natural vs. artificial: Which Christmas tree option is better for the climate?”. CNN. 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/us/real-vs-artificial-christmas-tree-climate/index.html
Cook, Bill. “Environmental effects of Christmas trees.” Michigan State University Extension. 2013. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/environmental_effects_of_christmas_trees
Waxman, Olivia B. “How Christmas Trees Became a Holiday Tradition” TIME 2021. https://time.com/5736523/history-of-christmas-trees/