The number of people opting to decorate their homes with a real Christmas tree in December is on the rise. The whole process is delightfully festive, from picking the tree and placing it carefully in its temporary home to decorating with tinsel and baubles. However, in January, it’s time to say goodbye to the centerpiece of Christmas but it’s such a shame to throw it out with the old wrapping paper and leftovers that couldn’t be finished. So here are some ideas on what to do with your tree when the time comes.

Before doing anything with your tree, be sure to completely strip it of tinsel, baubles, lights, chocolates, angels, stars and all other decoration you excitedly stuck to it.

If you have an open fire or wood burner, resist the urge to use your old tree as firewood. The dried pine needles can burn extremely quickly which could cause sparks. Couple that with the very dry Christmas tree wood and the fire can very quickly become uncontrollable. Stay safe and stick to specialist firewood suppliers for wood fuel.

Recycle

Local councils, garden centres and communities make it extremely easy to recycle your old tree where they’re shredded down into chippings for use in parks etc. Recycle Now has all of the information you need to recycle your Christmas tree.

Replant

Replanting your tree is a nice option if you have the space and obviously if the tree is still live – that is, if the root of the tree is still in tact. If you want to do this, it’s important to plan ahead a little and make sure that the root of the tree is kept damp by regularly watering it. As difficult as this might be, try to keep the tree away from heat sources as well.

Once replanted, make sure it’s well watered and feel free to redecorate with outdoor ornaments!

Repurpose

An old Christmas tree is a fantastic blank canvas that can be turned into many different things. The wood can be finely chopped and then treated to make coasters or line a flower bed. The pine needles can be mixed with seasonal berries and scents to make potpourri. Or how about a birdhouse? Stand the tree in your garden and hang bird food to attract a range of different birds.

Let us know what you do with your tree when the festivities are over using #bornagainxmastree