Kicked To The Curb

I woke up this morning to a dusting of snow. Since Tim had the day off, I figured I'd still get my short Monday run accomplished. The snow didn't look like it would be too much of a bother. And luckily, it wasn't.

I decided to go with a usual short route, since the snow was flying into my face and visibility wasn't the greatest. I couldn't even see the houses I was running by; it was that kind of snow. As I ran by some of the larger houses that come up quickly past the bridge, I noticed something looming on the side of the road. I don't run with contacts in, so at first it wasn't clear what was on the curb. But as I got closer, I knew what it was.

It was a tree. A Christmas tree. A once-decorated, no-longer-needed, Christmas tree. A little farther up, there was another one, and as I kept going, I saw a few more. It made sense. In our area, the garbage collectors will come and get your tree, for free, provided you have put it to the curb. But this is only the 2nd day of January! We are only 1 week and then some past Christmas! Seeing the trees on the side of the street made my heart ache.

Crazy, I know, to feel for these used Christmas trees, but each year, it is the same thing. I wonder about the stories that the trees can tell. I'd like to know what type of families they had. Did they get decorated with fancy ornaments and garland, or did they have mostly homemade items on their arms? Was there a star on the top, or an angel, or nothing at all? Did these trees get to see the joy and happiness in the eyes of children, or were they in a house full of adults? And was it all happiness that they witnessed? I would guess probably not. I imagine these trees once at the tree farm, just waiting to be picked. They stood up straight, fluffed their branches, and just hoped against hope that someone said, "Yep! That's the one!" If the trees knew that they'd be put at the curb so soon, would they do it again?

Crazier still, I also personify these Christmas trees, already long forgotten, though they've only been outside for just a day. They've performed their duty, they are no longer needed, they are thrust into the cold. Essentially, their time is up. I get emotional and shed a tear for these trees, probably because I think of people. What happens when people get old and their time is up? What do we do with them? Yep, we kick them to the curb. I'd like to think that I won't do that, nor will it happen to me. But only time will tell.

In all, I saw about a half dozen of these Christmas trees that have been kicked to the curb. If I could collect them all, I would. But I wouldn't be able to get all of the trees around here. And I wouldn't have room for all of them either. The best place for them now really is with the garbage collectors, who I hope will get them chipped into mulch in order to extend their lives.

If you bought a real tree this year and are feeling the love (or feeling guilty after reading this) feel free to use your tree a little differently. Several places online suggest using your tree as a winter shelter for small birds and animals. Just place your used tree in your backyard, and look at it go. You can chop it up in the spring and use the wood. Just don't call me to help. After having a tree with us that long, I'd probably cry even harder knowing I had to say goodbye.

By the way, we have an artificial tree.


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Update.

After I posted this gem, I suspected that I might get a couple of comments from those environmentally friendly people that I know and love. I was tempted to go back, juggle the wording, and include a sentence or two that indicated that, although we own an artificial tree, we know it isn't the most environmentally friendly thing to do. If it were all about being more earth-friendly in our house, we'd have canned the cats and dog long ago so that we could put up a real Christmas tree and then use the tree later for mulch. Or better yet, we'd use some sort of plant or small tree that could live year round in our house. But being environmentally PC wasn't the point of my foray today. That can be the subject for another day.