The Christmas Tree - Real or Fake?

My trees, real and fake!

What is Christmas/Yule without a twinkling fir tree, laden with baubles? It has been a custom to decorate spaces with greenery for festivals since pre-Christian times. Medieval churches purchased holly and ivy for Christmas decorations. In the town of Rye, holly twigs were wound up with broom and candles placed among them. Private homes were decorated likewise, with holly inside and ivy on the porch, and anything else that could be found green at that time of year, like rosemary, bay laurel, yew, box, broom, and mistletoe. The Protestant reformers weren't keen on all this "paganism" and sought to ban Yuletide festivities altogether. Christmas decorations disappeared between 1645 and 1660 when Christmas was actually illegal in England. When Christmas made a comeback, the 'kissing bush' was invented. The custom of kissing under a bush of foliage, five or six feet round, spread across the whole of England by the nineteenth century. Elaborate bushes were made using crossed hoops, evergreens, mistletoe, holly, gorse, apples, oranges, ears of oat, dolls, candles, coloured paper, and ribbons. Customs varied as to how long the Christmas bush should remain in homes, Candlemas being the latest date for its removal. Once the plants had served their purpose, they were usually burned as fuel, or used as fodder for the first cow to calve in the new year.

The Christmas tree had been a custom in the Rhineland, recorded from the 1520s. German visitors and settlers introduced the Christmas tree to England from 1789 onwards. Prince Albert made the custom fashionable when he erected a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. By 1855 the Christmas tree was very popular among the middle-classes, decorated with dolls, mimiature furniture, musical instruments, books, boxes, bottles, cards, fruit covered in gold leaf, imitation apples and pears. From the 1880s onward, commercially produced decorations became available. The kissing bush was reduced to a sprig of mistletoe, and holly was only used for a wreath on the door and around the Advent candle.  In the 1890s, trees strung with hazardous candles were replaced with electric lights. It wasn't until the 1950s however that the Christmas tree became a feature in working-class homes as well. Artificial trees became increasingly popular because they were affordable, reusable, clean and tidy. A growing concern for the environment in the 1970s led to debate over whether real or fake was the best option.

Let’s assume that the average fake tree weighs about 35 kilograms (kg), about 25 kg of that being the steel structure. The remaining weight consists of about 3 kg small molded plastic parts made from high-density polyethylene, and the "needles," which are made from polyethylene foil and also weighing about 2 kg. The basic material in artificial trees is PVC, the manufacture of which releases dioxin into the environment. Shipping the 35 kg "tree" from China, mostly by container ship, but also by lorry, causes an additional 5-10 kg of CO₂ emissions, depending on the destination, and picking it up from the shops can add another 5-10 kg of carbon. Once the artificial tree has had its day, it spends centuries buried in landfill to emit hazardous carcinogens. PVC is not biodegradable. It never goes away.

Today’s real trees rarely come from forests. They’re grown on Christmas tree farms, which tend to replant three trees for every one cut. As they grow to harvest size, real trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for years. They stabilise soil, filter rainwater runoff and shelter wildlife. Once they are in the home, many people fear that trees are a fire hazard. In fact, fire safety engineers were unable to ignite a properly watered tree. A cut tree can easily absorb a gallon of water during the first 24 hours you have it. The real fire hazard is overloaded electrical circuits, faulty wiring and open flames. Don't go overboard with your electric light display, and remember to turn everything OFF when you are out of the house or asleep at night. Once you are ready to take your decorations down, you could re-plant a potted tree (my favourite option) or compost your cut tree and enrich the soil.

This year I bought myself a cute little tree in a pot, so I can plant it out in the new year. It's a good idea to prepare a space to plant your tree before the ground freezes solid. Dig a hole twice as wide as the roots of your potted tree, and fill it with mulch. Gently introduce your tree to cooler air by placing it in a garage or shed for a few days. On a mild day, place your tree in its pre-made hole. Water deeply and mulch heavily. If your spot is exposed to harsh winds, erect a wind screen around your tree to protect it. Congratulations, you have re-homed your tree baby, enhancing the natural environment and giving back to Mother Nature.