California's 34 family keeps a live Christmas tree
'24.12.2017'
Source: ocregister.com
When Gina and Joe Mistretta brought home a live Christmas tree in the distant 1983 year, they had no idea that this tree would become a real member of the family, says Ocregister.com.
It was a two-foot potted pine, costing less than $ 20. It was barely enough to hold one large garland. But when Christmas 1983 ended, it turned out that the tree remained fresh - the family took pity on the tree and did not throw it away. So it was the next year. And the next one too. Today the tree is just over 34 years old. The family cannot tell his true age, but they know for sure that he is much older than their children. Joe Mistretta jokes: "We determine how long we have been married by the age of this tree."
This little act, by the way, is not so insignificant. According to Professor John Bock, director of the Center for Environmental Protection, Mistretta's family tradition protected the atmosphere from nearly 2400 emissions of pounds of carbon dioxide when destroying trees at a landfill. This is the equivalent of non-burning 1200 pounds of coal. Or transition from incandescent bulbs to LEDs, or reducing exhaust gas from automobiles. And it still does not take into account that the family did not buy Christmas trees in the next 34 times, which means that the 34 trees remained uncut, and each of them was not burned and polluted the environment.
How did the family take care of the tree? Joe pruned it about 10 inches annually to keep it off the ceiling, and trimmed bits of branches to fit into the corner of the room. Every year after Thanksgiving, the family takes the tree out of the room where it is kept and puts it on the patio inside the house. The tree became part of the family, traditions were formed around it, and the children literally grew up “before his eyes”. Decorate the tree with old family toys. Joe says that his family are not supporters of trendy and stylish trees, they prefer something sentimental.
And the father of the family jokes, hinting at the life expectancy of the tree, that someday the children will have to dispel his dust on this tree.
