Lovely. We try to do the same thing. We love the Living Christmas Tree idea, but the company is in Oregon. We went to a store where we looked for a living potted sapling, but they did not have anything local. We did end up with a spruce and I had hoped my friend could drive it out West and plant it, but that did not happen. Anyway, the Living Tree idea is nice if it's LOCAL (not fake local, ask the USDA first) and will be planted in a city area with no trees (so as not to interfere with local ecosystems). Otherwise we loved AT's ladder idea. Good luck, hope we get to hear what you come up with! :)

Forgot to post the links: I have not read the entire Audubon article but I hope they are not promoting monocultures, I don't think they are. But tree farms are not good because they ruin the soil, just FYI so we avoid them.

http://www.livingchristmastrees.org/

http://magblog.audubon.org/most-eco-friendly-christmas-tree

Do you need a tree?

We use a large plant that we have displayed all year to clip small ornaments to.
Previously, I've hung ornaments under doorframes, directly from the ceiling and flat mounted along a long wall.

I've also seen quilts used as ornament hangers.

I could be totally wrong with this, so I'd like to be corrected if I am. But, don't ALL Christmas trees come from Christmas tree farms where the trees are grown specifically to be cut down (just like ANY farm)? I don't see the harm in cutting down a tree from a farm. Most trees are disposed of in a landfill (isn't it a good thing to be putting compostable things in a landfill anyways?) or get picked up at a scheduled date by the city, where it gets put into a huge compost pile (same as leaf and sticks pick-ups in the fall) to be turned into nutrient-rich soil for gardens in the spring. Unless you are concerned about the eco-un-friendly trucking it takes to get the tree from the ground to your home, what's the big deal?

I'm very interested in the ideas of using things around the house for a make-shift Christmas tree though! So creative!

@Feasby05 great questions, I wish more people asked them. Tree farms are not good. Huge, diverse areas are deforested and destroyed for these farms. They are called monocultures. One single type of tree is planted. This destroys the soil by making it very acidic. When all the birds, mammals and diverse insects are driven out of the original forest, this means that a single type of insect (pest) moves in and munches on those tree farms, which encourages pesticide use. Those insects have no competition because there is no diversity. So now all those animals have lost their home and the soil is destroyed. Landfills do not have air or water or sunlight, therefore composting does not work. It just sits there in the plastic garbage bags and underground. Also, the composting of all those trees is overkill without a balance.

My uncle always decorates a large potted palm that he has a houseplant. Multi-colored christmas lights and a few ornaments make it seem very fun and whimsical.

*as a houseplant

Personally I love fake fake fake vintage tinsel trees or living potted ones but my husband really wants a 'real" one every year like every Jew I suppose. ;-) Now that I think about it, all I really want is some nice smelly stuff from the mantle and I cut that from my neighbor's tree.

I think it is worth noting that there is a real difference because composting and landfill. Some areas, including ours, have active and successful composting programs for all green waste. The city operates hot compost piles and uses its compost in park and green belt projects. Restaurants supply food waste for compost as well. So in fact, they are truely composted.

And although monoculture is not positive for the soil, it is a bit much to picture every Christmas tree farm diggin up virgin forest to play christmas trees. The majority of christmas tree farms are family owned businesses with long histories. This isn't quite hacking back the rainforest to plant coffee.

You could do a vintage aluminum tree. Etsy and Ebay have lots for sale usually. They are fun, they aren't using any new resources, and you can decorate as you like.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76672288/1950s-6-foot-vintage-aluminum-christmas?ref=sr_gallery_6&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=aluminum+christmas+tree&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_page=1&ga_ref=related&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_facet=vintage

The other thing, is because tree trimming usually happens in the fall, just take a big branch and use it like a tree.

Aluminum trees require you to get a little more creative with color schemes but they can be absolutely beautiful.

re: tree farms - i live in northern california in the foothills of the sierra nevada mountains, where there are lots of tree farms. it would be an overstatement to say these are "monocultures". the folks who own and run these farms (at least the ones in my area) have been doing it for a long time, and they live in the mountains - they know about the health of the forest. they don't just clearcut and bulldoze plots of land and kill off everything but their own trees. i think some tree farms are actually helping maintain the balance of the natural mountain forest environment.

my own solution for the xmas tree issue would be to make a 2D fabric tree. i did this one year when i was in a small apartment and couldn't afford a tree - i got some green fabric (from a thrift store, i think) and cut it into the shape of a tree. i tacked it to the wall, hung lights in a zigzag across it with tacks and hung ornaments from the tacks. it didn't smell like a tree, but it did the job and i used it for several years in a row. might even still have it in my xmas decs box somewhere...

I used to live in a town with a Christmas tree farm. That land would have been developed into McMansions if not for the Christmas tree market.

I was mostly referring to the tree farms I see here in New England, and thank you for the additional input. I have to mention that no matter who is offering these opinions, we cannot truly know unless we talk about specific farms and read studies on the diversity and health of the forest. Sure they are not actively cutting old growth, but the acidic nature of monocultures harms every living thing. Some coffee farms use mixed species, or allow a natural forest to grow. Tree farms could potentially mix crops. Again, it's a guessing game unless they are studied and inventoried. And from what I've learned, these farms are harmful.

i am put off by the whole idea of tree farms...wont it be better if that patch is put to better use or maybe left alone naturally

Seriously? I go to a tree farm that has been in existence since before my parent's were born and get a tree. I don't know of too many tree farms that are out bulldozing forest these days... unless you are trying to buy a tree in Brazil or something. These farms wouldn't go back to wild land or anything if they weren't used for the nursery and/or tree farm. They would be developed. Get over it and get a tree if you want one. Sheesh.

Not necessarily, Rumagogo. Land trusts have saved farmland and turned them into forests in our state. I agree with Trish, buying a fake tree is okay if it's going to last and be passed down to the next generation, and maybe if it's made from recycled aluminum or other recycled materials?

I'm with CaliforniaHoliday. I live in rural South Carolina. There are several Christmas Tree farms in my area. For my community, Christmas trees are a crop like peaches, cotton, soybeans, tomatoes and trees grown for lumber and pulp. The farms I see are tidy, well run, have brush that provides some habitat for birds and animals and are no more a blight on the landscape than any other farmed crop.

And the land was not "deforested and destroyed" for this purpose. South Carolina's virgin forests were cut down well over a century ago. If this land were left fallow, native pines would reclaim it within half a decade.

As for insecticides -- I'm not sure where you're getting that info, and I would appreciate a reference. I don't see that going on around my area.

Mdorothy absolutely, here are a few published studies from the field (below). As I mentioned, I am mostly familiar with New England monocultures. I wonder, what is your point about native trees reclaiming the property? Is that a bad thing? The point is that native diverse plants, not just pines, could grow back, and without pesticides which seriously harm the birds and animals who can use the tree farms. Plus the soil would be pretty poor at that point from the farming land use. Mixing crops can at least reduce this problem. Below are the references, all scholarly except the NY Times article, pretty good one and there are some Ph.D.s who comment in it as well.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/envent/1997/00000026/00000006/art00028

http://www.jstor.org/pss/3495092

http://www.springerlink.com/content/t249l6j7245150r3/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/garden/04garden.html?pagewanted=all

Feh, sorry, a few links don't work, Google these phrases:

Midseason Insecticide Treatment of Balsam Twig Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) and Their Aphidophagous Predators in a Wisconsin Christmas Tree Plantation

Factors Influencing Scale Insect Populations in Southern Pine Monocultures

Click on the first full link for that last one.

In my area, the farmland that is used for Christmas trees would otherwise be farmland. Maybe a different crop would be grown, or cattle or horses but it is not native forest land or at least hasn't been for a hundred years. By buying a tree from that farm I am supporting a local family and help the local agricultural economy. To me, that is about as guilt-free as it gets. Because really all farms could be seen as encroaching on native forests or grasslands, but since we won't likely return to foraging anytime soon, farms are part of our lives. I see buying local, sustainable and from someone you know as a fairly guilt-free choice. And these farms do exist in many parts of the country!

Count me in as another person who grew up in a very rural area with lots of tree farms.

In the appalachian areas, at least, tree farms aren't huge mono-farms. They're usually family owned for generations, and it's generally a swath of hillside amidst a large amount of property that is 90% wooded area. Since trees often require little care, they're often used as a supplement to other farming or blue collar jobs, so that the family can afford living on their wooded acres without having to regularly cut it ALL down in logging or sell it to be developed.

Not saying tree farms are without sin - pesticide remains a MAJOR problem, and living trees that include the ball can do a lot of damage to local soil buildup. But similar accusations could be leveled at all sorts of agricultural crops, and you don't usually see anyone yelling that we must stop eating apples or corn. (Well, actually, I hope there *are* some people worried about our corn overproduction.)

So basically - reusable fake trees are awesome! But so are sustainable real trees. Both can be awesome in their own way. :)

Everyone, I'm glad I brought up this question! Seems there is a lot to learn on Christmas tree farms.

In my opinion, unless you are using things from around your house and not buying ANYTHING new, I can't hardly see something grown on a farm as more harmful than the production of more plastic, unsustainable products. Even if you buy something that is made from recycled materials, there's probably a much bigger impact on the environment in the manufacturing and production than the impact from a tree farm. Just because you are giving a recycled material a second life, what happens after that? I bet they don't have a recycle symbols on them, so after their "second life" they go to a landfill anyways. At least we know that real trees will eventually break down naturally in the environment with proper disposal with your local municipality.

And maybe monoculture isn't he best for the ecosystem, but isn't that what is prevalent with ALL farms? Why just single out tree farms? The entire midwest looks like a quilt from the sky, with patches of corn, soybeans, and wheat (and a few others here and there). ALL farms are "monocultures" unless you are talking about your garden out back, even if you choose not to use pesticides.

My choice this season will be to buy a real tree, cut from a local farm. This way I know I am supporting local businesses and not fueling the production of unsustainable products (i.e. plastic, metal, and even other "recycled" materials).

I generally don't contribute to articles with >20 responses, but here goes:

My family donated our fake plastic tree, but wish we hadn't. It held LED lights safely. My substitute is a Victorian ornament tree from Smith and Hawken. It also holds LED lights, but I turn them off in the evening.

I think if you condemn Christmas tree farms you also have to condemn berry patches, pumpkin patches, and orchards as well. They're also "monocultures" that sometimes use pesticides.

I actually worked for a Christmas tree farm during high school, which was more of a rarely-tended patch of pine trees of various persuasions adjacent to the family farm. The idea that there are legions of Santas clear-cutting forests in order further the Christmas Agenda and Destroy Mother Earth is a little...weird.

Granted, this IS a holiday based entirely around consumerism; I guess I don't see the act of going out to a small business and chopping down a small tree in a small plot as a bigger threat to the environment than the presents that go beneath it.

This is all so SILLY! Yeah I know "silly"! But it is.
My girl and I bought a Blue Spruce in a 2.5 gallon can and decorate it every year as our X-mas tree. This is year three and it finally graduated to a 5 gallon container. Now it gets the bonzi treatment until we can plant it. Now we get to see "Bruce" year round and never have to drop serious coin on a tree every year. But I still do miss cutting a tree.
I used to go into the forest every year and cut my own tree (& loved doing it) I no longer live in the forest so I can't. Sounds like a crime but it really isn't. The overpopulation of trees in the forest around my home was due to the anti forest fire stance that the public has taken. As a result the forest had way too much downed timber (100 years worth), the one tree a year was actully helping. The year after I moved away the forest service paid a company to company to come in and set things straight. They tore out all the under brush. Took out all the downed timber and cut down all of the "extra" trees leaving behind a healthy mix of species a balence of fir, pine and cedar. It was a good thing too since the next summer some yahoo started a forest fire that made its way through my neighborhood burning down homes that hadn't maintained their tree population properly. If the forest hadn't been cleared out the story would have been a world story instead of a local story as Tahoe City and the local forest burnt to the ground.
Long story short. Buy a tree in a bucket and add it to your garden in the off season or buy one seasonaly. It doesn't really matter. The fake one's are the real crime.

Thanks for all your input on my question, everyone!

For the record, we don't want a real tree/plant because of the mess, the potential for fire hazard, and because we have cats who absolutely positively will eat (and potentially get sick because of eating) a real tree. We've previously had good luck with this not happening with fake trees, but we don't currently own one and were looking for a feasible greener option.

But I swear, Re-nest readers are the most intelligent of them all ; )

So, with that in mind, are there anymore non-botanical options?

I have a hand-me-down silver tinsel tree that at least one cat climbs every year.

I've gotten real trees from tree farms in the past. My high school American History teacher had his own tree farm and it supplemented his meager teacher's salary. I understand Emmi's points, but my grandparents had a citrus ranch...which was also a monoculture, so here in California, I don't really see the difference.

Lea, Inhabitat had this metal alternative tree, certainly not a fire hazard and pretty as well!

http://inhabitat.com/recycled-christmas-tree-made-of-bike-wheels/

And this had to be one of my favorites - someone using a tripod for ornaments. Or as they call it, a "recession buster". LOL

http://www.curbly.com/diy-maven/posts/5700-curbly-recession-busters-free-alternative-christmas-trees

I agree that AT folks are very smart and I enjoythese discussions. Just FYI the reason I'm not mentioning corn here is mostly because it's not a food post, but also it should be noted, I do mention corn, soy and wheat, and any other monoculture, quite frequently in other discussions. However the urgency here is greater because you can't eat a Christmas tree. It's not food. Food is a necessity. But so is clean air, water and soil. And without trees, those essentials are polluted. Trees act as huge filters. With how-many billion people on the planet demanding these "sustainable" resources, we're in for a big surprise if we think they can last. NY Times had a pretty scary article about the state of our forests. The idea is that there may be NO healthy forests left. That's pretty bleak for the future of our kids and the flora and fauna on Earth.

As Kaete mentioned, there may be some mixed-crop farms, and that was part of my point. Especially for food crops, these are great both for bordering forests and for saving land, water and not using pesticides. The idea is not new. Native Americans grew crops together for decades, so do native Hawaiians on some shade farms. The crops help each other grow and some crops even act to deter pests. Google Three Sisters to see why Native Americans grew pumpkin, beans and corn together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)

Are there any park areas near where you live? Go for a walk after a windy day and look for downed branches. Take the leaves off, clean them up and douse with a mild solution of bleach or vinegar. "Plant" them in a decorative pot of sand or use Quickcrete to cement them in. Decorate. You can leave au naturel or paint.

Alternatively you could make a tree from discarded copper wire and a broad tipped soldering iron, pliers, and wire nips.

Old cardboard boxes and an exacto knife could yield some tree shapes. Glue together and paint. Or go the the craft store and get papier mache glue mix and cover with old newspaper strips. If you don't want to paint make the last few layers colored tissue paper.

If you like a natural look, I have a friend whose dad made an awesome tree out of dried grape vines. It was probably about 3-4 feet tall. I thought it looked pretty awesome, but I don't think I have the time or patience to make one...not to mention, we don't have a good storage space to keep something that size.

I have a 12" artificial tree I was given as a child, so I use that (though I have to put it someplace my cat can't reach or he'll chew off the flocking).

I'm a designer, so if I didn't have the tree, I'd go to the thrift store, buy a dark green bridesmaid's dress (there's always *one*...), put it on my dress form with my big red crinoline, and attach ornaments to it.

My dad grew up in the desert - his parents wrapped Christmas lights around a potted cactus and called it a day.

hm, don't know how it is in your country, but in my country you can actually buy environemtally concious real trees. there are too many trees in the forest, so they do have to chop some down to allow the others to grow and with the money they make by selling them, you finance the protection of the forest as a whole. And no garbage problems since its natural.

A new eco-friendly Christmas tree for 2011 is made by Festive Tree. Unique wooden crafted trees that can be reused year after year.

These trees seem like they will fit your style - they are sustainable, artistically designed and affordable.

www.festivetree.com

http://www.festivetree.com

It depends a lot on the specific farm - small, family generally being a good choice - but if you live on the west coast, it can actually be fairly environmental to buy a local christmas tree, as long as you are in somewhere like portland, seattle, san fran, where the city composts all the trees, or in a rural area where you could compost yourself. Young trees grow fast and take in a large amount of carbon which is no longer in the atmosphere (unless the tree is burnt or landfilled) and it is sustainable for the land if done right (diversity of trees, good farming practices).