I’MDREAMINGOF A GREENCHRISTMAS
4 ECO-FRIENDLY WAYS TO DECORATE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
GO WILD WITH PLANTS If you like to decorate your stair rail or mantlepiece, try replacing the shiny plastic and fake-foliage garlands with real holly and pine boughs or bringing festive potted plants indoors. Small evergreen trees, holly bushes, and poinsettias are all attractive choices that can, with proper care, last the whole year. DARE TO DIY If you have the time, scrap paper can be cut into beautiful ornaments, and old holiday cards can be punched into leaf shapes and used to create lovely wreaths. Don’t forget to save your wrapping paper and ribbon scraps for next year! THRIFT SHOP TILL YOU DROP If you have your heart set on glitzy glass ornaments or an elaborate candle centerpiece, check nearby thrift stores before you head to Walmart. They’re often stocked to the brim with festive decor during the holidays, and you can probably get something you’ll love for pennies on the dollar! Plus, by recycling these previously used decorations, you’ll be keeping them out of the landfill.
ROCKE-ING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE How the Famous Tree Came to Be Remember the cranberry and popcorn garlands of holidays’ past? It’s time to bring them back! Pair handmade garlands with iced salt dough and gingerbread ornaments for a fully edible, compostable tree decorating scheme. A bowl of patterned pomanders (oranges studded with cloves) and pinecones makes for a beautiful centerpiece that smells festive, too. Considering all the wrapping paper, decorations, and cards that fill our homes during the holiday season, it’s no surprise the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is not only the most cheerful but also the most wasteful time of year. According to Stanford University, Americans generate 25% more trash during the holidays than any other period — that’s the equivalent of one million extra tons per week, which is enough to convince anyone worried about the health of the planet to cut back on the tinsel and fake snow. Luckily for the eco-conscious, celebrating the season without adding too much to the landfill is totally possible. To start your own green holiday traditions, try these tricks: OPT FOR EDIBLE
lights created the illusion that the 700 fluorescent globes adorning the tree were glowing in the dark. In the years immediately following the war, the tree’s decorations became grander, and it took 20 workers nine days to completely decorate it. The lighting of the tree was first televised in 1951. Reflecting the environmental consciousness of the time, 1971 marked the first year the tree was recycled. It was turned into mulch for nature trails in Upper Manhattan. 1998 was the first year the tree was transported by plane to New York, and 1999 saw the biggest tree to date in Rockefeller Center — a 100-foot-tall Norway spruce from Connecticut. After the 9/11 attacks, the tree donned its red, white, and blue decorations once again. In 2007, decorators used LED lights as a part of an ongoing effort to be more environmentally conscious. At the same time, in recent years, the tree has been donated to Habitat for Humanity after it’s taken down.
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York has been one of the most popular holiday displays in the United States since the tradition started 87 years ago. During that time, the tree and its decorations have come to represent the zeitgeist of the United States. On Christmas Eve in 1931, at the height of the Great Depression, construction workers working to build Rockefeller Center pooled their money to buy a Christmas tree to erect on the site. It was a 20-foot balsam fir, covered with homemade decorations from the construction workers’ homes. Two years later, in 1933, Rockefeller Center paid homage to that tree by making a tradition out of lighting a Christmas tree at the center every year. The second tree stood more than twice as tall as the first one, at 50 feet. Over the years, its decorations have reflected the times. During WWII, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was decorated in red, white, and blue ornaments and stars. In 1944, the tree wasn’t lit due to wartime blackout regulations. Fortunately, however, the tree was returned to its former splendor the very next year. Six ultraviolet
About 125 million people visit the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree every year, and it no longer just represents what era the American people find themselves in — it represents the enduring good will we strive to have for one another during the holidays.
2 ZDFIRM.COM
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