Dreaming of a green Christmas

Tim Iverson

(12/2018) Despite being nestled within the coldest months of the year, Christmas brings with it a sense of warmth and vitality. Pay no mind to the blustery marshmallow world outside. Never mind that we’re months away from verdant green grasses and the sultry summer sun. Christmas provides an internal jingle that rings with silver bells and is wrapped in wreaths and garlands of evergreens.

Evergreens, as the name implies, are trees that remain green year round. They will keep their "leaves" or needles in almost all cases, all year, while deciduous trees will shed their leaves in the colder winter months. Evergreens are usually conifer trees, plants, or shrubs, and in some rare cases leafy trees.

Historically speaking evergreens have been a part of the winter season for millennia. These plants were brought in and adorned the homes of many ancient peoples across cultures and continents. December 21st and 22nd typically has the fewest daylight hours of the year, and is marked as the winter solstice. Most ancient cultures worshipped the sun as a god, and this solstice symbolized the triumph of life over death as the days would begin to grow longer from this point forward.

Evergreens were a symbol of health and virility, and reminded them that green plants would grow and farms and fields would once again produce food. Ancient Egyptians, Romans, Celtic druids, Vikings, and Germanic barbarians all had similar traditions.

The contemporary custom of the Christmas tree can be traced back to 16th century Germany. During this period Germans would bring small trees into their home to decorate. Devout Christians adopted this from prior pagan ritual and Christianized it by selecting Christian symbols to place upon the tree. Early decorations were traditionally food items, such as apples or nuts. Apples represented the apple from the Adam and Eve creation story. The top of the tree is usually festooned with either an angel, representing the angel Gabriel, or a star, which represents the star of Bethlehem.

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees spread, and was fairly common by the 1800’s. In early America things had progressed slower due to heavy puritan influence. In 1659 the state of Massachusetts banned any form of celebrating the Christmas holiday, with the exception a church service, and provided strict penalties for violation of this law. By the mid 19th century there had been a huge influx of German and Irish immigrants and the political and cultural influence of puritans waned.

Many Americans were still unsure or uninterested in this Christmas custom, but in 1846 the English Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert (of Germany) were pictured in an English newspaper surrounded by their children standing next to a Christmas tree. This picture made the custom highly fashionable with English and American political elites and upper class citizens. It wasn’t long until the Christmas tree became commonplace in nearly every English and American home and town square.

The modern Christmas tree has its roots planted squarely in these traditions. However, contemporary cultural concerns have roiled a debate among more environmentally conscious consumers. This has left some discrepancy between what is the most ethical choice between tree purchasers - natural or artificial? There are certainly merits to both choices, but environmental agencies and universities have come down squarely on the side of natural or real trees as being the most environmentally sound choice.

Most Christmas trees are commercially farmed, harvested, and shipped regionally to surrounding areas and states. While a real tree is essentially carbon neutral, it is estimated that it is responsible for approximately 7lbs of carbon dioxide per tree via transit activities. It also worth considering that a tree takes about 7 to 10 years or more from planting to harvesting. During that time it stores carbon, provides oxygen, habitat and food sources to wildlife, and maintains soil and water quality.

Whereas, an artificial tree is responsible for approximately 106lbs of carbon per tree, but can be used over many years. Artificial trees are typically made of PVC, but have often been found to be coated in paint with traces of lead in it (usually originating from China). After 9 years these lead based paints have been shown to break down and can cause health risks to vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or small children, due to lead contamination.

One research study showed that a consumer would have to use an artificial tree for up to 20 years before it had a smaller environmental impact than a natural tree. Most manufacturers recommended a shelf life of 10 years. After which these trees should be replaced. Once trashed they either end up in a landfill taking centuries to decompose or being burned in an incinerator releasing carbon and other carcinogenic chemicals into the atmosphere.

Better ways to reduce impact while celebrating the Christmas season is to ensure that you properly recycle your tree. Many localities provide tree recycling services which will turn trees into mulch for parks, gardens, public space, and trails. Living Christmas trees are increasingly becoming an alternative for an even greener Christmas option. These trees are harvested by balling the roots and transplanted into a pot or mesh container. After the Christmas holiday is over you can plant your tree in your yard or another location and it can continue to provide habitat and other positive environmental contributions to the ecosystem.

By considering how to reduce our Christmas carbon footprints we can help ensure that future Christmases will be white enough to leave actual footprints in the snow. Using LED lighting for trees and home decorations significantly cuts down on energy, and by using the lighting less in general will affect the amount of impact we have. Upcycle old newspaper into wrapping paper, ensure batteries for new and old toys alike get properly recycled and not just trashed, and employing similar solutions helps to turn a white Christmas into a green holiday.