Artificial Christmas trees might be sort of sad looking, and lacking that delicious festive scent, but they sometimes seem like the only sustainable alternative to real evergreens. It’s true that Christmas trees have been recyclable for years, and many companies promise to plant one tree for each one chopped down, but it seems so wasteful to cut down a tree that has taken five or six years to mature for the sake of a few weeks of frivolity (especially with the high prices this year).

I was therefore impressed to come across so many new companies offering a Christmas tree rental service, which entails delivery to your home, collection a few weeks later and the replanting of the tree back into its original habitat. For those of us with gardens too small to go through this process ourselves, it’s an excellent arrangement.

So if you haven’t sorted out your Christmas tree yet, you might want to consider looking at one of these links:

Trees for Rent, based in Dorset
Christmas Tree Man

You might also want to start planning for the future; growing your own Christmas tree is the ultimate way to give the environment a little gift. You could grow it in a pot so it’s easy to bring indoors, or even leave it outside with some solar fairy lights threaded through the branches. We have a Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit that’s perfect for the eco-conscious Christmas-lover. Remember, trees are for life – not just for Christmas.