The Day of the Dead (Trees)

by Christine McLaughlin

My Christmas tree arrived today and if there’s a more adorable little tree in all the world I’ll be surprised.

I’ve found an interesting statistic that states that 40,000 trees are cut down to make 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper at Christmas - enough to wrap Guernsey. 200,000 trees are also felled every year to make 1 billion Christmas cards for the UK alone. On top of these gloomy statistics, a further 7 million trees are felled to be used as decoration.

Artificial trees are not the answer: these are made of pvc and plastic, which give off emissions and pollute the environment (and your home). They cannot be recycled and end up in landfill. They are not an ethical choice because they are made in sweatshops by exploited workers who have little to celebrate during the festive season.

Cut Christmas trees come from Christmas tree farms, which do have some benefit for the environment. The trees grown there emit oxygen and this purifies the air we breathe. The obvious drawback is that cutting the tree down brings this beneficial effect to a definite conclusion. The tree dies and turns into a depressingly desiccated husk by Hogmanay.

By far the greenest choice is a living tree in a pot; these still have their roots so they still emit oxygen and they can be replanted in your garden after Christmas, and dug up again the following year. A living tree will help absorb emissions in your home, smell gorgeous and won’t drop any needles.

If you’re going for the living tree option, make sure you are buying a tree with intact roots – many potted trees have had their root balls cut and will quickly die. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to take advice about replanting – we slung ours into a hastily dug hole in the garden last year and it soon died.

This year we have hired a tree from the Little Fir Tree. They offer free delivery throughout Lancashire and around Calderdale using Bio fuels whenever possible, and grouping their deliveries to cut down on fuel emissions. If you want to refer a friend, or to be a drop off point for a number of trees, they have various discounts available to reflect the reduced environmental impact. At the end of the festive season they will either collect your tree or you can keep it for an additional £5. Our tree was £20 and although it’s small it’s very sweet. And I will get round to decorating it eventually.