The name sounds a bit dramatic, this post is really about Christmas trees. I heard for years that buying a fake Christmas tree was better for the environment for so many reasons. Obvious ones being the sheer horror of cutting down a beautiful tree and watching it die in our front room. So I read up on it for myself. The reality of it is quite scary and eye opening to me, at least.

   Carcinogen is a scary word. Dioxin, Ethylene Dichloride and  Vinyl Chloride are just a few of the carcinogens generated in the making of PVC (polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl). PVC being one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable petroleum-derived plastics. The potential for things like lead poisoning are great enough that some trees made in China carry a warning label. The first artificial tree is said to be invented in Germany towards the end of the 1800's. Metal wire trees were covered with goose, turkey, ostrich or swan feathers then often dyed green to imitate pine needles. Then in the 1930's, the Addis Brush company created the first artificial brush trees, using the same machinery used in the production of their toilet brushes.  The "Silver Pine" made by the company was patented in 1950. Sounds cute.

  "According to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition, the manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, which include the most toxic manmade chemical known. Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development"

  Sounds not so cute.

 Not to mention, 85% of artificial trees are imported from China.

As noted in the Washington Post, "On the concrete floors of Zhang's Shuitou Company factory, migrant workers, most earning about $100 a month, squat in front of hissing machinery as they melt chips into moildable plastic..."

 The cost of transporting almost ten million fake trees a year? I can't even imagine. The pollution created by the travel itself. I don't even want to think about it.

  Among the other reasons not to buy a fake Christmas tree, here's a couple more reasons to go with natural:

 Recycling. It is impossible to separate and recycle your artificial Christmas tree. It must be thrown away with your garbage.

 Fire.

In 2004, the Farmington Hills Fire Department in metropolitan Detroit conducted a test of how real and artificial trees react in a house fire. The artificial tree, which was advertised as “flame retardant,” did resist the flames for an amount of time, but then was engulfed in flames and projected significant heat and toxic smoke, containing hydrogen chloride gas and dioxin.

Below are the before, during and after photos of the artificial tree.

Compare the above photos to those of the well-cared-for Real Tree, which remained mostly intact, as seen below:

Now there's a lot of reason to buy natural, such as the jobs it gives the community, and income for farmers once the winter season rolls around. I like the day me and my family get all bundled up and head to a local farm to pick out our own tree. It's a great activity to choose your tree, bring it home, decorate and enjoy it. Gives your home a festive scent and a great authentic look. Once Christmas is over, there are plenty of ways to recycle your tree or, some elementary schools offer free tree chipping, in which they use the chippings for mulch around the school. Another possibility is to be a live tree with roots intact and then plant it in your own backyard. Since the trees "hibernate" for the winter, you should only keep your tree indoors for about a week before the tree "wakes up" and starts growing with the heat of your home.

  Which tree will you get this year?

 I couldn't think of another name. What this post is actually about is relationships. Never been done, right? Anyways, I have a boyfriend. It's been getting to the point where people have started asking things like "So when are you two moving in together?". And things of that sort. Call me old fashioned but I definitely believe you should not live together until marriage is in agreement, eg: engaged. It's not up to me to judge everybody elses lives, but for me, it makes the most sense. Don't get me wrong, I've lived with boyfriends before, it was just simply the worst decision of my life and would not do it again unless I was certain I was ready to share a bathroom with the same male for the rest of my life. No religious or moral obligations standing in my way, just convenience.

     Step One: moving in together. Seems so sweet and new at the time, but it's scary and invading. All your stuff, mixed around with his stuff, no privacy at all. Decisions to be made all over the place, most of which he is no good for. Where the furniture goes, which cupboard for food, which one for plates, and most importantly, the bedroom. Now these decisions might seem like mundane and unimportant daily passings of life that just simply must be done. But they're still decisions, ones that cause bickering, arguing and animosity. And why on earth would you want to go through this with someone who you probably won't be with much longer than a year anyways.

   Step Two: Day to day living. Waking up in the morning, getting ready, eating meals, free time, bathroom time, and sleeping. Even if you move in with someone at 17 years old, you still have somewhat of a routine going with your life, and we all know you certainly cannot change a person, especially if they snore or eat strange food.

   Step Three: Privacy. Couples of thirty years or so have no idea what this word means. Some people could spend every waking second with someone else, the rest of us need some alone time. What you do with your alone time, be it reading, shitting, masturbating, a little D&D or even a fantasy sports team. Whatever. That's why it's alone time, do what the fuck you want. Good luck getting this much needed time alone with your SO just sitting there in another room. Questions will be asked, interruptions surely made, and alone time, unsuccessful. Because one thing about alone time is unwanted alone time is never appreciated. Thus creating animosity.

   Step Four: To break up, or not to break up. Making this decision was easy before. Even something vague like "I think we need some space" was easy. Space from someone, while living with them, is not easy. Staying with your parents for a while to think things through is a terrible idea. My parents make me friggin crazy and I'd end up missing my home and my stuff. You could make him stay with his parents, but it's not as simple as it sounds. Ultimately creating, yes, animosity. Leading to your potential breakup.

  Step Five: The Breakup. The biggest step of all. Who moves out? Should I pay for this month? Are the bills in my name? Who gets the bed? We paid half-ers for this, who gets it? After the unanswered questions come the depressing statements to yourself:  But I like this place. His friend has the truck. Now I have to pay rent all by myself, not to mention mow the lawn and take out the garbage. Now if these questions/statements had been thought of during Step Four, Step Five probably would have been avoided by any means possible. Although moving and changing your whole life around just because a relationship didn't work out seems extremely annoying and unnecessary, staying in a dead-end or even abusive relationship is far worse. Don't let minor obstacles and setbacks keep you in a terrible living situation.

   Now I know some of the things we find out about eachother while living together is very important towards "The Big Decision", these can easily be aqcuired by a thorough relationship whilst living separately. Maybe I enjoy my freedom and my own place too much, maybe I'm not ready for marriage yet, but in any case, my current boyfriend knows not of my plans to live separately until were engaged. Telling him would seem like I'm hinting or pressuring, and maybe we're not meant to be together, I guess I'll just wait and see. I've got plenty of time.