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Confession: I’m OBSESSED with Christmas.

My TV is turned to Hallmark all season long, I’m guzzling peppermint mochas and non-dairy nog, and my apartment looks like a disco ball. There’s no shame in my holiday game.

And as much as I adore this season, there’s one Christmas tradition I’ve never been a fan of: cutting down a beautiful, healthy tree only to throw it into a landfill a month later. Why would anyone cut a tree when you can easily buy a pre-lit Christmas tree, or an artificial Christmas tree from your local or online stores? What is the beauty to watch such greenery go to waste? While it is understandable that one would want to clear up their yard of dead trees (by calling in professional Greensboro tree removal services or similar ones in their vicinity) that tend to make your yard look untidy and unkempt but why would one want to cut a perfectly healthy tree – just to keep it in your house for a month or so? Does not make sense to me!

Looking at a curb full of dead trees the first week of January is pretty damn depressing.

And trees are our friends! They produce oxygen, absorb carbon, clean the air, and conserve water. Why would we tend to them carefully for years only to cut them down en masse? It’s never made sense to me.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that you can rent a living Christmas tree!

No killing trees, no messy needles, no unnecessary waste, no guilt! Yay!

The Living Christmas Company has been renting live trees to Southern California residents since 2008. Founder Scott Martin (who goes by Scotty Claus) used to deliver cut trees, but he hated seeing them thrown away after the holiday was over.

So, he created a new concept: rent a living tree!

Here’s how it works: you place an order for the size and type of tree you’d like and the friendly folks at Living Christmas Co. deliver it to your door. You get to keep it for 30 days. Then they pick it up and it goes back to the nursery to be loved on for the rest of the year!

“People get very passionate about their tree,” says Scotty. “Many had forgone getting trees because they didn’t want to cut one down and they’re not going to get a plastic one, so this is way that lets them share a childhood experience with their family.”

There are Monterey pines (from $155), Aleppo pines (from $155), and Blue Spruce (from $175)! They come in sizes ranging from five feet to 10 feet tall, depending on the type of tree. Each has a unique shape, color and scent, so you can pick your pleasure.

“Probably my most favorite thing about the business is the guys we get to hire during the Christmas season,” adds Scotty. “One year, I had a driver come to me and thank me for the job. I said that I was happy to be able to help. He said no, not just for the job, but because he didn’t have a ton of money he felt like Christmas had become about the gifts and commercialism, but seeing the joy that something as simple as a living tree brought to the homes we deliver to restored his faith in Christmas.”

So what kind of tree does Scotty take home every year? “I usually find a cool misshaped one to make my own. This year I found a totally Dr Seussy tree for my own house!”

The Living Christmas Co. only services Southern California (you can check their website to see if you’re in their delivery area), but don’t be bummed if you live elsewhere. There are other companies that provide similar services. Central California, for example, has Rent a Christmas Tree LLC.

So before you hit that tree lot or farm, consider renting a tree this year. Why kill a tree when you can care for one, instead?

Just imagine your special little tree, back with its tree friends after the holidays, full of Christmas memories, ready to live a long, healthy life! It makes my heart so happy.

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