Best Places in St. Louis to Recycle Your Old Christmas Tree

If I had to put a count to it, I'd say that it was probably close to 50/50. What I'm referring to is the number of times we have had a real tree for Christmas as opposed to an artificial one. I've always preferred getting a real one myself. They smell nicer and who can forget the special memory of getting jabbed by the needles, or cleaning them up off of the floor if you let the tree get too dry. And let's not forget all of the dire warnings about the things going up like a Roman candle in your living room if they catch fire. I remember several neighbors taking them out into the back yard and torching them while all of the neighborhood kids watched in awe. Then there were the years of the artificial ones: The initial decision had to be whether to drag out all of the old stuff, including the tree, which was stored in the attic, or go out and buy a new one. I think that the determining factors included the cost of a natural tree that year as well as how many pieces were missing from the old artificial one.

In their own right, some of the artificial ones were really nice looking. Their size and shape were certainly more uniform, and if you decorated them just right and sprayed some pine-smelling stuff.... I always liked the white ones too. They didn't really look like a snow covered tree, but if you kept the decorations simple, like all red or all blue ornaments, they could look really beautiful in a minimalist sort of way. One year we had a silver aluminum tree with one of those revolving lights that made it change colors. I spent the better part of a week falling asleep on the sofa, mesmerized by it.

If you have opted for a real tree this year, it's coming up on the time to decide what to do with it. There are several recycling centers around the St. Louis area that you can take it to. The recent week of really mild weather has prompted some residents to dispose of their trees early this year and not wait until after the 1st of January.