A new Christmas tradition is becoming increasingly popular. “Christmas tree rental” sounds like an upper-class replacement for a favorite holiday tradition; however, these new local businesses are an environmentally friendly solution to the old ways of Christmas and the perfect way to make your holiday more sustainable. 

Artificial Christmas trees only last around 6 years per household but take centuries to decompose in landfills. 7 million Christmas trees end up in landfills every year. In order to lower these statistics and make the holidays more cheerful for our society and our environment, Christmas tree rental companies offer a much better alternative. 

London Christmas Tree Rentals is going viral on social media for its sustainable version of an annual Christmas tradition. Through their website, London residents can order a Christmas tree of their preferred species and height and either have it delivered to a nearby hub for pickup. After ordering the tree of choosing, it will be sent with care instructions. The twist is, the tree also comes with a return label. That’s right, these Christmas trees are still alive and travel with their bulbs still attached. The tree is returned anytime between Christmas and January 9, and the company replants your tree and allows it to grow another year!

Many Christmas tree farms in other countries are incorporating this new and environmentally friendly alternative to cutting down a new tree each year. Most companies even encourage their buyers to name their tree so they can get the same tree each year! This offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to watch your tree grow every year. 

Christmas trees take around ten years to hit six feet tall. At Primrose Vale Farm Shop, a tree can last up to six Christmas’ inside. It will then “retire” and be planted in a forest. After that, you have the opportunity to find a new tree to call your own! 

One of the benefits of “renting” a Christmas tree instead of cutting one down is minimal to no shedding. Keeping the rented Christmas tree watered and out of a heated room will result in the Christmas tree staying green and fresh, with no shedding because the trees are still living! 

Another benefit is that the trees produce zero waste because instead of being thrown out after Christmas, they get to last another year, and see more Christmas’.

Renting a Christmas tree instead of cutting one down saves the tree’s lives, giving the opportunity to watch your own tree grow each year, and allowing you to have an overall more sustainable and environmentally friendly holiday! Plus, when you return your tree and it is in good condition (i.e not dry, broken, or dying) some Christmas tree rentals will return your deposit on the Christmas tree.

Although Christmas tree rental companies can not be found everywhere yet, hopefully, this tradition will become more popular to allow everyone a chance to have a more sustainable Christmas. For now, these environmentally friendly holiday products will help us get closer to achieving this: 

•  Use this eco-friendly compostable wrapping paper
• Use energy-efficient LED lights rather than normal Christmas lights 
• Gift out these sustainable paint palettes made from soil 
• Recycle old holiday cards or send out these plantable Christmas cards