A Living Christmas Tree Is a Solid Conservation Choice

Living Christmas Trees: A Practical, Conservation-Friendly Swap

I did the usual holiday loop this year—wander a few tree farms, pick the one that feels right, talk myself into believing it’ll somehow stay tied to the roof the whole way home.

What caught me off guard wasn’t the trees. It was the prices.

Some of the cut trees were more expensive than the live potted tree I stumbled upon afterward. And my gardener brain chimed in with that annoying-but-true logic: So…the already-cut one costs more than the one that still has roots?

So we brought home the live one. A Golden Monterey Cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa ‘Fine Gold’), bright and cheerful in that way only young conifers manage. And the longer it sat on my patio waiting for its big indoor debut, the more it felt like one of those rare swaps that’s both practical and a small conservation win—if you treat it like a real plant, not a seasonal prop.

Why a Living Christmas Tree Makes Sense (Beyond the Warm Fuzzy Feelings)

Cut trees aren’t the bad guys. They’re farmed, renewable, and create plenty of seasonal jobs. But they’re still a single-use item, grown for years and enjoyed for a couple of weeks.

A living tree, though? Totally different future ahead of it.

If you keep it alive and move it back outside after the holidays, it keeps doing tree things:

• storing more carbon each year
• cooling and cleaning the air around your house
• holding soil in place
• giving birds a place to perch and hide
• offering year-round greenery instead of two weeks of sparkle

That’s the whole conservation argument in one sentence: a living tree can keep living.

Less Holiday Waste (Especially Where Tree Recycling Isn’t Great)

Some cities chip Christmas trees into mulch and compost. Others…well, let’s just say curbside pickup can turn into a long goodbye as trees sit around waiting for the right truck.

A living Christmas tree simply avoids the whole “What bin does this go in?” situation—as long as it survives. If it ends up planted or kept in a container outdoors, nothing gets tossed.

A Little Patch of Habitat, Right in Your Yard

Even a modest evergreen becomes a tiny sanctuary—especially in suburban neighborhoods where birds live between fences, gutters, and whatever shrubs survived the summer.

Keep a living Christmas tree long-term and you’re giving wildlife:

• shelter from wind and rain
• a perch to watch for insects
• a quiet place to tuck into at night
• a bit of shade and softness in a yard that might otherwise be hardscaped

Caveat: It Only “Counts” If You Keep It Alive

Here’s the part people skip because it doesn’t fit nicely under a photo of matching pajamas:

A living Christmas tree is the greener option only if it stays alive.

If it dries out indoors or gets shoved onto a hot patio afterward and dies, you’ve basically bought a cut tree with extra steps. So think of it as an outdoor plant visiting your living room for a short holiday stay.

How to Keep a Living Christmas Tree Alive Indoors

Give It the Brightest, Coolest Spot You’ve Got

• South or west window if possible
• Away from heat vents or fireplaces
• Ideal indoor temps: Around 65°F, and if your house runs warmer, don’t panic—a short stretch at 70–74°F is usually okay, especially if it’s getting bright light and the soil isn’t drying out.

Warm, dry indoor air is what takes these out fast.

Watering: The Make-or-Break Part

Indoor air pulls moisture out of pots like you wouldn’t believe.

• Check soil daily
• Water when the top 1 inch is dry
• Water deeply and empty the saucer afterward

And the simplest trick: lift the pot. If it suddenly feels suspiciously light, water.

Don’t Keep It Inside Too Long

This is where most people push their luck.

• 7–10 days indoors is the sweet spot
• Two weeks max before stress starts stacking up

After that, the tree starts thinking it’s in trouble.

Reintroduce It to the Outdoors Gently

Don’t yank it from cozy living room → cold wind and nighttime temps.

• Give it 3–7 days in a protected, shady spot first
• Then move it to its normal outdoor location

Up here in North County San Diego, the transition is usually easy thanks to our mild winters—but colder climates will need slower adjustments.

My Golden Monterey Cypress

After Christmas: Patio Tree or Future Yard Tree?

This is the part I enjoy most—when the holiday decoration becomes a real plant with a life ahead of it.

Keeping It in a Pot Long-Term

Monterey cypress makes a surprisingly good container plant here:

• Must have a drain hole
• Water when the top 1–2 inches are dry
• Warm spells = 2–4x/week watering
• Cool months = maybe weekly
• Up-pot every year or two, or root-prune later on

In a pot, it usually stays 4–8 feet instead of shooting up wildly.

Planting It in the Ground

Give it:

• space for 8–12 feet tall and 4–6 feet wide
• good drainage
• enough room so you’re not pruning it into a cube someday

Keeping Its Gold Color Bright

‘Fine Gold’ glows best with decent light.

• Too much shade → greener and leggier
• Too much reflected heat → scorched tips

Morning sun with some afternoon shelter is a great fit for most coastal and near-coastal yards.

Light Pruning Only

Small tip-pruning in spring/early summer keeps it dense.

Just avoid cutting into the old brown wood—most conifers hold grudges about that.

Why I’m Sold on Living Christmas Trees

Nobody needs guilt around the holidays. We all pick the traditions that make sense for our homes and our budgets.

But when a living tree costs the same—or less—than a cut one, it starts feeling like a pretty good trade: you get the lights, the ornaments, the evergreen scent… and then you get a plant that keeps offering shade, shelter, color, and a bit of habitat long after December ends.