I’ve just undressed my Christmas tree and rather than being left with a rather sad, naked and past-it old thing, my tree looks like it’s been on a rehab and top vitamins programme this Christmas. Look – this is it after 2 weeks in a centrally heated house!
This is because I was road-testing a tree from the fabulous people at Christmas Tree Angels who grow Christmas trees in pots on a wild Scottish mountainside for 11 months of the year, bring them south for a bit of tinsel-time in urban homes and then pick them up and drive them home to Scotland for another 11 months of Highland air and a foot or two of growing time.
Well Christmas Tree Angels – you have my 5-star, thumbs-up award for a lovely looking tree, a great fragrance, virtually no needle drop (or droop) and a full door to door delivery service. And best of all, no trees were destroyed to decorate my living room. A truly sustainable way to enjoy a real tree at Christmas.
Also, I’m told by CTA’s Bill Harte, we can have the same tree here again next year. Yes, please Bill – we became rather attached to it and would love to see it back in London for Christmas 2011. Please accept my order.
It feels as though MIAMI’s been leading the way with sustainable upcycling Christmas advice. The media’s been full of advice and tips about hanging on to your Christmas cards and paper to use next Christmas. Aside from the sustainable Christmas tree (now on order) I have a cupboard full of used cards and wrapping paper. Perhaps the whole of Christmas 2011 can be an upcycling, sustainable festival in this house? What do you think? Can we do it?
Clare OB
I found that after a couple years of re-using my paper (and the paper I got on gifts) the pieces were getting pretty small. One way around that is to make paper patchwork on a shoe box and tie it shut with ribbon-saved from another present, of course, or from the sewing box!
ReplyDeleteAnother idea is to use the plastic nets that fruit comes in to tie things up. By taking both ends off you get a tube of mesh. That can easily be cut into a strip which can then be tied, braided, scrunched up into a flower-unlimited ideas!