Page 122 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2025

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story by
Gaye Winter
“O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,” is the first line of a German Christmas Carol that is translated into English as “Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.”
January brings about the inevitable question of what to do with your live Christmas tree? Thinking about our furry- feathered friends, the birds, they need shelter from the cold! Your live Christmas tree is the perfect “gift” to the birds for a safe shelter spot for them: sparrows, chickadees, tufted titmice, and many other bird species will thank you for a tree to help them survive the cold.
Remove all ornaments and hooks and decorations making sure it’s safe for the animals, and put the tree on the south side of your home where it usually is a bit warmer with the sunshine. Birds are warm-blooded and can puff up their feathers to stay warm, but extra shelter can certainly help them. Lean the tree on a fence, tie it to another tree, or stake it in the ground; it doesn’t matter.
To entice the birds to the tree, try throwing out seeds near the tree. You can also hang a suet feeder or peanut butter pinecones rolled in seed from the tree branches. But if you feed the birds, you have to keep feeding them for the whole winter season.
Even if your yard is a certified wildlife habitat*, adding a dense evergreen tree is a big plus during the winter months.
When the tree starts losing its needles, you can cut off the side branches and cut the trunk into logs for your fireplace.
If you want to discard your tree, check your local news and/or paper to see how you can recycle the trees!
Another idea to recycle your tree includes making a potpourri using the evergreen clippings!
This will smell amazing with the aroma of your tree’s needles! Mix with your favorite spices and fruit and let it simmer all day!
• Clip some branches into small pieces, or use loose needles, and add as many as will fit into your pot.
• Add orange rind or cut up a fresh orange; add lemon rinds or cut up a lemon.
• Add cranberries, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks. • Add your favorite herbs and spices – experiment
with smells you love.
• Cover with water.
• Set up on back burner and simmer.
• Add water as needed and don’t forget to replace
evergreen pieces with fresh ones! Wow, the smell
gives off instant winter wonderland vibes.
For a wonderful gift, you might put the dry ingredients
into a gift bag or jar paring it with a beautiful ribbon and tag. What a thoughtful holiday or new year gift for family, neighbors, friends, or teachers.
*To see about certifying your yard as a wildlife habitat, go to www.nwf.org/certify.
Gaye Winter, Ph.D., teaches English at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and is a member of Biloxi Garden Club. Reach her at gaye.winter@mgccc.edu.
122 | January 2025 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living