It’s getting a little late for chopping down a Christmas tree. But if you suddenly find yourself tree-less and overcome by the Christmas spirit, you might not need to cut anything at all.
That’s because California entrepreneur Scott Martin has created a different model: Instead of buying a dead Christmas tree, why not rent a live one?
[Related article: More on the holidays]
“It just makes sense that you would bring something alive into your house, to celebrate a symbol that means life renewal and all that Christmas brings,” Martin, founder of the Living Christmas Company in Los Angeles, says in a video on his website.
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The average tree costs about $150 to rent, plus delivery charges of $30 to $60, which means this isn’t necessarily a way for cost-conscious consumers to trim their spending this year. Instead, Martin touts the environmental benefits of keeping trees alive. After about seven years of being rented out, most trees are planted permanently in the ground.
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There are also emotional benefits.
“You have the option to get the same tree next year,” Martin says, which means that as you and your children grow, your Christmas tree does, too.
But if you do want to rent a living Christmas tree, you’d better act quickly. This close to the holiday, many of the company’s trees are already rented out. Still remaining is a 7-foot Monterey Pine and a somewhat bedraggled-looking three-foot-tall blue cedar (a bargain at $40).
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Image: boutmet, via Flickr.com
Christopher Maag Contributing writer for Credit.com, Chris graduated with honors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and has reported for a number of publications including The New York Times, TIME magazine and Popular Mechanics. Reach Chris via email at chris@credit.com.
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