Save A Tree...and Trim A Trimmings
(Page 2 of 3)
November/December 1981
By Helene Cole and Terry Francis
Keep adding greenery, trimming it to size and shape as necessary, until your evergreen is full and symmetrical ... then pour the sand or pea gravel into the container around the base of the newly created tree in order to provide ballast and anchor the branches. Finally, pour in enough fireproofing solution, or water, to saturate the sand or gravel thoroughly. More liquid should be added whenever the sand appears to be drying out on top.
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(A simple fire-retardant solution can be made by combining the following ingredients in a gallon of water: 1 cup of ammonium sulfate, 1/2 cup of boric acid, 2 tablespoons of borax, and 1/2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide. These are all available from any drugstore, if you don't have them on hand already. When watered with this liquid, your tree should stay fresh, fragrant, and safe from ten days to two weeks, or about the same length of time as would a whole cut tree.)
Large evergreens will usually have to be constructed indoors because the weight of the sand and the tree together makes them awkward to move .. . but you'll find cleaning up relatively easy if you assemble your tinsel-hanger on a bare floor, or simply spread newspaper or old sheeting around to catch the debris. Table-sized models, of course, can be assembled outdoorswhere you won't have to worry about fallen needles, bark chips, and spilled sand—and carried into the house when you are ready to decorate them.
TRIMMING THE TRIMMINGS
Your homemade holiday spruce won't be quite as sturdy as would a whole tree, so it's best to deck it out with lightweight ornaments and tiny, energy-saving Christmas lights. Popcorn strings, paper snowflakes, silvered cellophane icicles, and decorations made of straw, cornhusks, or yarn are just about perfect. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Directions for crafting lovely ornaments at home can be found on page 120. Another good source for creative holiday projects is Christmas in the Country by the staff of Farm Wife News, available from many bookstores or libraries or—for $4.95 plus 95¢ shipping and handling—from Mother's Bookshelf, P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, North Carolina 28791.]
