It’s post-Christmas, and soon all of you with live Christmas trees in your house will begin to take down the decorations and then take it to the street curb. Before you do, that ol’ tree could have a second life, and you could make your life a little more sustainable because of it. There are literally thousands of things awesome things you can do. Here are my top ten things anyone can do that go from easy-greasy to challenging to complete.
If you have ever wants to do something with your Christmas tree instead of just throw it away, I’ve been doing a little research and have found bunches of awesome ways to give it a second life! Some of them are easy-greasy and others are very difficult.
If you have ever wants to do something with your Christmas tree instead of just throw it away, I’ve been doing a little research and have found bunches of awesome ways to give it a second life! Some of them are easy-greasy and others are very difficult.
- Houzz has a very interesting message board conversation about what people do with old Christmas trees. Everything from using it to build a bonfire to using it for planted beds are discussed.
- You can dispose of it and have it recycled. There’s lots of places around the country to do this. This website has the places for recycling for 2015. It also has info for individual states. Find out if there’s anything near you in New Jersey to have your tree recycled.
- Heal your ills with evergreen herbal teas. This site has some very interesting and ambitious ideas about how to reuse evergreen trees. Cedar and Pine trees have medicinal qualities. Check out this site for more info.
- Use it for Firewood. You can chop up your old tree and use it for firewood. If it hasn’t dried, it might be a bit hard to burn. First step is dry it out and then use it for seasonal warmth.
- Animal habitat. Animals love extra shelter. If you have a spot on your property, the tree can be placed there to create it. You’ll find that birds will visit the tree often and other animals like rabbits and chipmunks will hide in it. Overtime, as the tree breaks down, it will become habitat for worms.
- Make a Didgeridoo. This is one of my favorite things I’ve found that you can do with a old Christmas Tree. This site takes you step by step to go from tree with lights and presents underneath to a final didgeridoo. If you don't know what a didgeridoo is or how it sounds, check out this 10hr video! If you don't have 10hrs to listen to a video, here's a much shorter 2min video for you to watch.
- Coasters and Plant Bed Border. Two things you don’t thing of in the same way are coasters for your tables and borders for your planted beds. With that old Christmas tree you have the option to do both, and both are made pretty much the same way. This site shows you how to make coasters step by step. The same steps are needed to make bed borders….only difference is make the pieces thicker (say around 2 to 3 inches) and use exterior stain and sealer.
- Make a Model At-At with it. If you are a Star Wars freak and also love to take on nearly impossible wood projects, this is for you. This site gives you all the details of how to make an AT-AT walker with common tools out of wood. If you don’t know what an AT-AT walker is, ask any 10-year old boy or 30 to 45 year old man, and you will find out all you need to know.
I think I’m going to try number 6 this year. It’s not like I have a ton of time on my hands, but it would be really interesting to see if I can actually make a handcrafted instrument from scratch. If I do decide to do it, I’ll post images of my progress on this blog and my instagram account.
Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Holidays!!!
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