- Every year, come Christmas Eve, some trees remain unsold and unwanted.
- We talked to two Jackson neighborhood Christmas tree markets about what remains...and what becomes of those unwanted trees.
- WATCH THE VIDEO for the full story.
Every year, it's the same story: unbought trees on Christmas Eve.
"We want every tree to have a good home," says Co-President of Trinity United Methodist Church Men's Club Michael Austin. The Church has been selling Christmas trees here since 1948.
I'm your Jackson neighborhood reporter, Darius Udrys, and I stopped by some of our neighborhood Christmas tree markets to find out what remains…and what becomes of the trees no one wanted.
"This one is a Charlie Brown winner," says Gary Beck, owner of Beck's Flower Shop and Gardens.
Even a blanket and some love probably won't help.
"You can see the amount of needles that are on the ground…there's no fixing it," says Beck.
Oh, Christmas tree — how is it no one wants thee?
"I see nothing wrong…no brown spots…no animals flying out of 'em..." says Austin of the remaining trees in the Church lot.
Maybe this one's just a little too small?
"They're beautiful trees. And not everybody wants a giant tree. Some people want something real small," he optimistically notes.
Austin says even the day before Christmas, there's still hope for some of them:
"There is a tradition with some people that come on Christmas Eve and grab a tree…"
And what becomes of the trees no one wanted?
"Well, goats eat 'em, I've learned," he says.
Gary Beck says even an unwanted tree has something to give:
"Leave it in the stand and then start putting suet — bird feed…and, all of a sudden, you'll have cardinals and wrens, and whatever other types of birds are in the area, and that'll give 'em a place to feed and you can watch the birds in the wintertime."
Back at the Church, with only hours to go, Michael Austin makes one last pitch to get his trees homed:
"Maybe if we give them a name after the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Now they've been named — perhaps that will be the incentive for someone to take one off the lot."
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