The yearly axing of millions of trees as a central part of the celebration of Christmas seems to me a morally dubious proposition at best, if not actually sacrilegious. I know that, for most folk, Christmas is now almost entirely secular, but that surely doesn’t excuse natural vandalism on this appalling scale, especially at a time when the planetary systems that maintain life are so vulnerable to change.

Growing our own tree for holiday decoration works a lot better for us. This is the third year we’ve used the same tree which lives in a container on the front verandah. Eventually, it may be planted out in the garden, but at the moment, it seems perfectly happy grown as a bonsai. And it’s not bad as a Christmas tree either.