...to buy a Christmas tree, or at least rent one. Rent one? That's what some people are doing in southern California, according to an article in the Times.
Rentable Christmas trees, which have been tried in Oregon and a smattering of other places over the years, are a perfect match for Los Angeles, where Christmas trees have “an image issue,” and escaping a drive through traffic with a tree strapped to a car roof is especially welcome.
To rent a tree, a customer visits Mr. Martin’s Web site, livingchristmas.com, picks out a tree from among several varieties and then awaits delivery. Delivery days are determined by geography, to save time and gas. Prices range from $50, for a two-to-three-foot number, up to $185 for something bigger.
Fifty bucks to rent a tree that could fit on top of a table? I paid a hundred for my eight-foot Douglas Fir, and I thought I got taken! ("Pssst! Here comes that bald guy from last year...")
While two weeks is the recommended length of stay for a live tree in a house, Mr. Martin lets his customers keep them for three.
What a sport!
The tree is then picked up to join its evergreen cousins; they will summer together on industrial properties where Mr. Martin rents space for pennies on the dollar to house his inventory. People who want the same tree next year ask for it to be tagged with their name, so it might return next December, taller.
Are we talking about a Christmas tree here, or a pet turtle?
Extra-credit points: The delivery trucks run on biodiesel; the trees are cared for by adults with disabilities; the drivers will pick up donations for Goodwill and used wrapping paper for recycling; and the Web site also sells eco-friendly, fair-trade ornaments.
Sheesh! Only in LA...
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