20" Chalkboard Greetings WreathAngel of Grace TreeAlways & ForeverIt’s a tradition that some say predates celebrating Christmas. Bringing a real miniature pine tree in to your home at this time of year and putting all kinds of shiny decorations on it, is something that happens in millions of homes around the world. If you don’t already have a Christmas tree put up at your place it may be too late to arrange one for this year. However, we hope we can give you some ideas for the future. We put together a wide selection of alternative trees, ranging from one built from a small circuit board, to a huge one made out of Lego. Although we have tackled Christmas trees and decorations in the past, this time we’re all about the trees. Whether you choose the 3 ft tabletop model or the 6 ft suspended model (yes, it hangs from the ceiling or something else) you’re sure to impress with a Possibilitree. The bigger tree has 10 rows of branches ready for you to put decorations on.

Each Cardboard Christmas Tree (including packaging) is made out of recycled corrugated cardboard and can, of course, be completely recycled again once you’re done with it. Photo by The Cardboard Christmas Tree. One of the more unusual “trees” in our collection, the Tannenboing is made out of recycled aluminum. It’s flexible enough to be able to hang from the ceiling or stand on the floor. For next season, just pack it up or recycle it. It reaches only about 10 cm tall but if all your computers and other gear take up so much of your space it might be a good idea to get a small Christmas tree. The Motherboard Christmas Tree will light up your room with 16 blinking LEDs. You may not want to build it as big as Bright Bricks did in the UK, but drag out that sack of Lego pieces you have stashed away since childhood and start building. This tree was made from modular wire bookshelves (can be found cheaply at IKEA if you don’t have some already) held together by wire and stuffed with all kinds of things from around the house.

This is truly a DIY tree if ever there was one.home decor ideas budget Apparently this tree has 2,000 processors from Intel on it. best free 3d home design software for macYou probably don’t have that many available to you – or perhaps you do – but start collecting and in a few years you can duplicate this feat.cheap christmas tree alternatives We did save the best for last. diy wall decor living roomSince Doctor Who fever never seems to subside, what geek wouldn’t want a Dalek Christmas tree in their living room? exterior paints images house

Be prepared for it to exclaim “exterminate” and chase you around your house.diy birthday decorations for girl If you want to avoid a real Christmas tree and the bugs and dried up pine needles it inevitably brings in to your home, we hope you got some good ideas from our selection. Now, show us your tree, we’d love to see what you’ve come up with.Allergic to the Holidays? The holiday season is meant to be joyous, but for many, the pressures of the season can be daunting. And to further complicate matters, some people have respiratory sensitivities that can be exacerbated by contact with Christmas trees. A study published in 2011 found that real Christmas trees can carry molds that trigger allergic reactions in some people. Incessant sneezing is no way to spend the holidays, but real Christmas trees are known to often carry microscopic mold spores that can exacerbate allergy symptoms, including sneezing, watery eyes and an itchy nose.

A 2011 study performed by staff at the SUNY Upstate Medical University and published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology found that a small sample of Christmas trees carried about 50 types of mold, two-thirds of which could cause hayfever-like symptoms. The short article also referred back to a previous study conducted in 2007, which found that a Christmas tree could increase the number of mold spores in an apartment by about 6 and a half times. A researcher in that study stated that, “As mold growth is common in the area surrounding outdoor foliage, we hypothesized that the presence of a live Christmas tree may be contributing to indoor mold.” The researchers found that mold counts in the air grew continued to grow while the tree was in the room, and did not drop down back down to normal levels until it was taken down. Cleaning your tree can significantly diminish allergy symptoms. The authors of the 2007 study suggested a simple solution: shaking as much debris as possible out of the tree before bringing it inside.

Elsewhere, those who have suffered from tree-related allergies have found some success in rinsing off the tree with a hose and sprayer, and then leaving the tree somewhere warm to dry for a couple of days before bringing it into the house. Using an air compressor to blow off debris might be an excellent alternative to avoid having to dry the tree out afterward. The authors of the study had another idea:  simply purchasing an artificial tree. However, some artificial trees can also cause allergy symptoms in sensitive people. Artificial Christmas trees that have been improperly stored can accumulate significant amounts of dust, mold spores, and other irritating detritus. In addition, some of the materials used to manufacture artificial Christmas trees could cause sinus irritation for those who are especially sensitive. This means that, regardless of what type of tree you buy, it would be advisable to clean the tree off using one of the methods described above, before bringing it into your home.