Last year, for the first time, I cut down my own Christmas tree. I have nine acres behind my old Vermont farmhouse, and a large portion of that has douglas fir, red spruce, and eastern white pine. So one day when a friend was visiting, we walked out back and selected a small red spruce, cut it down with my electric chainsaw, carried it inside, and set it up in my living room. It was a minimalist tree, a bit Charlie Brown. And I loved it. (Wait, is that a spruce? Shoot, I can’t remember! It might be a douglas fir.)
Anyway, it was the most sustainable, organic, non-toxic and rewarding Christmas tree I had ever had. But of course, most people nowadays can’t cut down a Christmas tree from their own backyard. And as such, a debate has erupted about what’s the best choice of a holiday tree for those with chemical sensitivities, asthma, and chronic illness. A plastic tree that…
Read the full article originally published at ecocult.com.