January 6th is the official last day of the 12 Days of Christmas, the Epiphany. What is the Epiphany? The word itself has several meanings but for Christians it holds special significance on this day as the coming of the Magi or Three Wise Men. This from Merriam-Webster: the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles and in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ.
There are various celebrations around the world as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus (with the Wise Men offering gifts) and His baptism as well. Many of those traditions include plunging into freezing water. I'll pass on that one! Still others include more food! As traditions change around the world through more western influence, check out Wikipedia's information on the varied celebrations of Epiphany.
For many of us it also means packing away the Christmas decorations, lovingly putting away those precious ornaments from years gone by and dragging your real tree to the curb.
This ornament has been in my immediate family since the 1960's! You can see the rust at the top
Before you kick your tree to the curb, consider the following options.
Leave the tree in its stand in your yard for the rest of winter! It could fill a void in the yard while providing shelter for birds. Check out this link from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on recycling your tree.
It's important to hang healthy treats! Dried fruit, popcorn on a string, pinecones lathered in any type of natural nut butter (you can use shortening but look for palm-free oil) and cut up fruit such as apples, grapes and berries. Oh, and unshelled natural peanuts!
You can also use it yourself! Enrich your soil and provide winter protection by using the pine needles & boughs to cover yur garden bed, young perennials and spring bulbs. Chop up the trunk and create a new compost pile with a layer of branches at the base. This encourages air flow. Consider piling the boughs on your mulched paths. Ahh, sniff the lovely scent as you step on them!
Another cool idea I just read about is, in spring, cut off all the twiggy parts of your Christmas tree, place it in your vegetable garden and use it as a trellis for cucumer, beans or any vining veggie to grow up on.
You can dispose of Christmas trees in SOME lakes to be used for fish habitat. BUT, and this is a big one, YOU MUST CONTACT local officials and CONFIRM that it's okay in the particular lake you are thinking of. If you have your own private fishpond, you can toss it in there. Not the manmade ponds in your backyard.
A caveat to consider: The MN Dept of Agriculture says invasive species can hitch a ride on those trees. A 2020 stuy found that a discarded evergreen can infect other evergreens species in the area for a month. Most likely to be affected: Fraser fir, Blue spruce and Virginia pine. If you have these planted in your landscape, you might want to just kick your tree to the curb for recycling pickup.
Most municipalities who have garbage service will pick up your Christmas tree but you must make sure that all the decorations are cleared out. Contact your city or garbage hauler if you're unsure.
You can also recycle it at Gertens Brickyard (across from their retail store)
FUN fact: In Ireland January 6th is celebrated also by a tradition called Women's Christmas! The men do all the chores while the women gather together and enjoy the day. Maybe at a pub, maye at another's homeor maybe they're out enjoying nature (snowshoeing would be a grand idea!) But the MEN STAY HOME to CLEAN! ;-)
There is something magical in the beauty of a winter's day in the woods...
To a new year filled with what you love,
The Garden Scoop