Oh, Christmas Tree...

I'm allergic to just about everything that grows. So when I enter a warm, cozy, Holiday dinner party and get that first whiff of a 6-foot Pine, I want to run for the hills. Preferably, Pine-free hills.
Not only am I allergic, but one time when I was 8, I was attacked by a Christmas tree. I was asleep on our sofa bed waiting for Santa Claus, when I woke up with a sharp pain in my legs. Our cat, Maggie, had climbed to the top of our tree, sending it falling on it's side and smack down onto my legs. My mom picked about 30 needles out of my legs as I sneezed and puffed up like a Christmas turkey.
I...
don't...
like...
Christmas trees.

But if you have a real tree, there are some environmentally-minded ways to dispose of it come the new year. I found a great resource at:

http://earth911.org/green-your-holidays/treecycling/

There, you can find out why and how it's good to recycle as many of the 35 million real Christmas trees sold in North America this year. The onetime symbol of your holiday joy gets smashed up and the remains of it get used for:

1. Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
2. Beachfront erosion prevention
3. Lake and river shoreline stabilization
4. Fish habitat
5. River delta sedimentation management

You can also check out http://www.christmastree.org for more info.