Every year, we struggle with finding the most eco-friendly Christmas tree, but maybe the greenest Christmas tree isn't a tree at all!

Choosing a Christmas tree is tricky business! Until a few years ago, my husband and I were using a hand-me-down artificial tree that my sister-in-law gave us. It was an extra from her store's holiday display, and it felt like a good choice - we keep that old tree out of the landfill, and we don't cut down a new tree for our living room! That was dandy until we read about how toxic artificial trees are for your indoor air quality. That tree looked a lot less cute when we knew it was off-gassing carcinogens and other nasty toxins like lead!

A "real" tree is healthier for your home, but it also means you're cutting a tree down every year to use for a month and then either compost or send to the landfill. That didn't feel so ideal, either. This year, we found a local service that delivers a real, potted tree, and at the end of the month they pick it up and plant it for you! Pretty awesome, but not everyone has a service like that in their town.

DIY Christmas Tree

It's been a blustery fall here in Atlanta, so downed tree branches are a pretty common sight, and I bet my town's not the only one littered with branches! Instead of putting those in your yard compost or sending them to the landfill, you can turn those big branches into a cute, upcycled Christmas tree!

All that you need are:

• fallen branches
• a strand of LED lights
• decorations (optional)

Ready to make your DIY Christmas tree? Click here for the tutorial!

Of course, it wouldn't do to make a DIY tree, then decorate it with ornaments from the big box store, would it? Check out some of these DIY ornaments you can make instead!