Why It Is Ok to Get a Live Christmas Tree... Harvesting My Tree

It's that time of year again, Christmas and time for one of my favorite traditions, getting my Christmas tree. Yes I get a live tree and love it and there is nothen wrong with getting a fake tree. I understand a live tree isn't for everyone, you may be allergic, not like the up keep and clean up, don't have the extra to buy a new tree every year, what ever your reason that is fine, but it isn't ok for me. I love the look, smell, fill and memories that come with a real tree. Before I get into memories and tradition, there is something bothering me. I have seen on social media a few comments made about it being bad or wrong to get a live tree, what, no it isn't!

Why I feel it is not wrong or bad to get a live tree... as long as it comes from a farm, that is. I have seen comments like, I think it sad to see a perfectly good tree be cut down or you shouldn't cut down a tree for Christmas, really is it wrong to cut down corn or soybeans on farms too? No it isn't, so going to a Christmas tree farm to get your Christmas tree is not wrong either. Why, because those trees are planted, trimmed and groomed all year long to be sold at Christmas time and then new trees are planted in their place. So, there is no loss of trees in the end, just like a farmer harvest their corn and soybeans in the fall and replants them in the spring, the same process is done on tree farms. Also, if that tree farm wasn't there most likely those trees would not be there. This year I got my tree form 4-H Camp Ohio (Woodridge Tree Farm) and I remember when where they now grow trees it was just open grassy fields. A lot of time tree farms are planted on land that may be hard to grow traditional crops, due to reasons like step hills or not the right type of soil.

I grew up with live trees and have many of great memories from them. Growing up we would go to southern Ohio to Dickess Tree Farm to get our tree. Dickess tree farm is on land that was my great grandma's families original homestead and farm. I loved going there with the family, running the hills, picking out a tree and visiting the family there. My dad would get nice big trees, some times so big we had to tie them to the wall to keep them up and then we would all help decorate it. That is where my love of live trees comes from and thou I haven't been able to make it down there since I started buying my own trees, it is still my favorite place and best memories of getting a tree (hope some day to go back, it is just very far from where I now live).

There is work to having a live tree, you have remember to water it and make sure it doesn't dry out (don't want to have a fire), the the cleaning up after it goes out and that is not for everyone. For me I think it is all worth it for the memories that come with a live tree and supporting local farmers.