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Christmas Tree Facts | Kids & Parents | Learn More

A fully decorated Christmas Tree is a wondrous sight for a child. But the natural curiosity of childhood may also prompt kids to wonder about a lot of things.

In childhood, there's no substitute for the authentic experience of having a Real Christmas Tree in the home. However, it can also be an educational experience, a chance to help kids learn about agriculture, the environment, and other issues.

Here are some questions kids may ask, and some answers parents might want to discuss with them:

Q. Where did our Christmas Tree come from? Was it taken out of a forest?

A. Real Christmas Trees don't come from forests. They are grown on farms, just like corn, wheat, tomatoes, beans, and other vegetables. But these farms don't grow food to eat - they are very special farms called Real Christmas Tree farms.

Q. Doesn't cutting down a tree hurt the environment?

A. A tree has to grow on a farm for many years before it is ready to be a Real Christmas Tree. And Christmas Tree Farmers plant two or three new seedlings, or "baby trees," to replace every tree that is cut to be a Real Christmas Tree.

Since Real Christmas Trees come from farms and not from forests, and since more trees are left behind to keep growing when each year's Christmas Trees are cut, it didn't hurt the environment to cut our Real Christmas Tree. In fact, Tree Farms actually help the environment by putting more oxygen in the air that people and animals need to breathe, and taking out carbon dioxide, which makes it harder for people and animals to breathe.

Christmas Tree farms also help the environment by using land for farming that might otherwise be used for houses, buildings, roads, or other development.

Q. When a Real Christmas Tree is cut down, does it take away a home from birds or animals?

A. Since Real Christmas Trees come from farms and not from forests, it doesn't harm the homes of birds or animals. Like any farm, a Christmas Tree Farm will have some birds and wild animals hanging around. But since many more trees stay on the farm to grow after each year's Christmas Trees are cut, there are more than enough trees for the birds and animals to enjoy.

Q. Did the tree have to die to be our Christmas Tree?

A. First, this isn't something to worry about, since trees can't think or feel pain the way people or animals can. And our Real Christmas Tree is actually still alive when we bring it into our home. It breathes in carbon dioxide, making the air in our home cleaner, and puts more oxygen into the air to help us breathe better. And see how it drinks up all the water that we pour into the stand? The water goes up through the trunk and spreads out to all the branches and needles to keep the tree from drying up.

Q. Why do we need to take down the tree so soon after Christmas?

A. Even though we keep plenty of water in the tank, a Real Christmas Tree will eventually dry out. If we leave it in our house when it starts to dry, the needles will drop off and make a big mess. We take good care of our tree and give it plenty of water, so it's safe until just after Christmas. But it's not safe to leave a tree in the house after it starts to dry.

Q. What happens to our Real Christmas Tree after we take it down?

A. After we take it out of our house, our tree will go to a place called a recycling center, where it will be made into mulch or other products that help other trees and plants grow or help the environment in other ways.

Q. A lot of my friends have Fake Trees. How come we chose a Real Christmas Tree?

A. A Real Christmas Tree looks better and smells better. It makes our whole house feel like Christmas. Real Christmas Trees also help the environment and help our community by creating business for Tree Farmers, and jobs for the people that work on the farms and sell the trees. Also, Fake Trees can't be recycled into products that help the environment. And some Fake Trees are made with stuff that isn't good for us to be around.