101 Things to Do with a Dead
Christmas Tree
 There
it is in the middle of the living room, the once live
Christmas tree drawing its last breath. Now some people may
just want to leave it there for a conversation piece until
next Christmas. But most of us sooner or later figure we have
to do something else with that tree.
On television they suggested that you bring your tree
to the local park and let it be chopped up into mulch. That seems
environmentally sound and a good enough suggestion for the creatively
challenged. But, if there are 101 things to do with a dead cat, surely
there must be at least that many things to do with a dead Christmas
tree.
Naturally, I now have to list them:
Well, we might use it for a coat tree, or hat rack
since it’s already in the living room and handy. If you live in the
south, you can put it on the front porch with the old couch and
washing machine, or chop it up for firewood.
Of course, there are many, many other things. We could
use it as a planter and let it be covered with climbing ivy. We could
use the branches to fashion dried floral arrangements or winter
centerpieces.
We can use it for a decorative money gift tree,
assuming we have any left after Christmas, or a shoetree We can chop
it up and use it for kindling, toothpicks, or a game of pickup sticks.
We could use it for a kitty scratching post, a perch
for pet birds, or a handy pet pit stop We could stick berries or fruit
on the dry branches and make a natural outdoor bird feeder
We could use it for an umbrella tree, recipe holder,
mug tree, or to hang towels in the bathroom. With needles removed, it
would make a great closet organizer. It could be used as a lingerie
rack, necktie rack, or organizer for belts.
Branches could be removed for numerous uses, such as,
feather duster substitutes, toilet brushes, pot scrubbers,
toothbrushes, or back scratches. Branches could be tied together and
used as a broom, or bug swatter.
It could be taken outside for target practice, put in
the lake for fish beds, used as a fence post, or dressed up to become
a scare crow.
Needles could be used to stuff cushions, pillows, or
stuffed toys to save the environment. They could be woven for floor
mats, rustic place mats or wall hangings.
Needles can also double as landscaping mulch around
shrubs, and provide nesting materials for birds and wildlife. But
there we are being practical again.
How about making snowshoes from limbs, using the tree
as a sled, tying together branches for a hula skirt, or using the tree
for a dancing partner.
It could also be used to celebrate other holidays. In
the spring it could be used for a May Pole or an Easter egg tree.
Branches would make great torches for a party, or the tree could be
used for a bonfire on Halloween.
If you live in the south, you most likely could add
bacon grease and cook up a mess of Christmas tree needle greens since
we cook and eat about anything else that’s ever been alive.
Now I know that isn’t quite 101 things, which
probably goes to show that even a dead cat is more useful than a dead
Christmas tree.
After I’ve listed all these ideas, I suppose you
still intend to haul your tree to the park and get it made into mulch?
That’s certainly what I intend to do with mine!
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