A real Christmas tree can be a significant fire hazard if it’s left indoors to dry out for too long. When the holidays are over and the time has come to take the tree down, you can always drop the tree off at a recycling center or tree drop-off area in your community, or even leave it curbside to be picked up on a designated pick-up day if applicable.

But there are other ways that you can recycle that Christmas tree that has added some festive cheer to your interior throughout the holidays. Here are a few ideas to help give you some inspiration.

1. Use it in Your Garden

Your garden can benefit from your old Christmas tree in a number of ways. For starters, you can shred it and use it as mulch to nourish the soil. The pine needles can add also some much-needed moisture to your garden since they are slow to decompose and aren’t prone to developing any mold.

They’re also great for insulating the garden if you live in northern parts of the state where it can get pretty cold outside. Wood chips from evergreen trees are also great for keeping unwanted insects and critters out of garden beds thanks to the scent.

2. Create an Animal Sanctuary

Whether you have livestock living on your property or simply have an affinity for animals and want to give them a place to rest comfortably, you can use tree chips made from shredding the Christmas tree to be used as bedding.

You can even leave the tree in one piece and place it outdoors to be used for birds. They can either use the tree as a habitat or can feed off of bird feeders hung from the boughs of the tree. But once the tree dries out too much, it should be safely discarded to avoid any fire hazards.

3. Add it to a Pond or Lake For the Fish

Local wildlife and other animals aren’t the only creatures of nature that can benefit from your old Christmas tree. Even the fish from a nearby body of water can take advantage of it.

If you live nearby a lake or pond, or if you have one on your own property, you can toss the tree in there to provide a natural habitat for fish. As the tree decomposes, it will attract algae which the fish can then eat.

The tree may even serve as a habitat for fish that are seeking shelter from the cold and protection against predators. Just make sure the tree hasn’t been chemically-treated and that all decorations have been removed. Also, get any necessary permission from your municipality if need be.

4. Make Something Crafty

If you’re the creative type, you might want to use the material from your Christmas tree to create something unique. You can saw the trunk into discs to be used as beverage coasters or even to edge your garden or walkway.

You might even want to place them around your yard in a decorative manner that can also serve as a resting place for squirrels, chipmunks, or birds. If you’re using the discs inside, make sure you seal them first to avoid any leakage from the wood.

With a little imagination and creativity, there are all sorts of things you can make with an old tree.

5. Steep Some Tea

Rather than toss the pine needles from the tree, save some of them to brew yourself a pot of tea. Just boil a handle of needles for a few minutes until the desired strength is achieved (usually no more than 10 minutes).

Not only will the wonderful aroma fill the space, tea made from steeped pine needles can be very healthy for you. Pine needles have tons of vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants, which have can help ward off chronic illnesses and keep your eyes healthy and strong.

Just make sure that no chemicals have been applied to the tree. In addition, identify what type of evergreen tree it is to make sure it isn’t a poisonous breed. For instance, Norfolk Island Pine and Ponderosa Pines are poisonous if consumed, so be sure to verify exactly what sort of tree the needles come from before you steep that cup.

6. Use the Pine Needles as an Indoor Air Freshener

Boiling a few pine needles as tea isn’t the only way to sweeten the smell of your home. You can also crush the needles and place them in bowls that you can leave out on tabletops, shelves, and counters.

They can be placed on their own or combined with other lovely-smelling things that give off wonderful aromas, such as cloves or cinnamon sticks. Just make sure to keep the needles away from any open flames like fireplaces or candles to avoid any potential fire hazards.

The Bottom Line

Your Christmas tree has done its job adding to your home’s holiday decor over the past few weeks, but it’s just about time to retire it. While it can be somewhat sad to take it down after spending all that time decorating it, knowing that the tree is being used for another purpose might help. Consider any one – or all – of the above idea to repurpose your old Christmas tree.

Lakeview: Get ready for the TNK Festival Kick-Off Party in collaboration with Cards Against Humanity, this Tuesday January 16. The party is at Tied House Loft at 3157 Southport Ave. This pop-up party begins the 5-day Chicago music festival that unites many independent music venues in the area. The event will feature games curated by Cards Against Humanity and prizes! The event is from 7 to 10 pm and will have limited edition TNK prints for the first 100 guests, Busy Beaver buttons, complimentary food and beverages from Deep Eddy, Heineken, and Hellion Cold Brew. Find out more here!

Bucktown and Wicker Park: Trying to get in shape this New Year? Want to try something new? Check out “Get Fit with Cardio Soccer” in Wicker Park! This program is specifically designed for adults with busy routines who prefer achieving their fitness goals in a group setting. All sessions are structured around SAQ (speed, agility, and quickness), soccer specific drills, small sided games, and tournament-like scrimmages. It is a moderate intensity program that will help participants increase their stamina, flexibility, and overall conditioning. The next session is Thursday, January 18 from 6 am to 7 am. All sessions are run by professional and licensed coaching staff! Email milos@westloopsoccerclub.com for more information.

Lincoln Park: Join HopCat for its 10th Anniversary Celebration next Saturday, January 20! The party begins at 11 am with FREE Crack Fries (if you haven’t tried them, they’re delicious!) and 10 beers! From 11 am to 5 pm, HopCat is giving away free Crack Fries with any purchase; one order per person. There is also a Crack Fries Eating Contest beginning at 3 pm. Contestants must sign up in advance, either by email, phone, or in person by 2:30 pm on the 20th. Entry fee is $5 and will be matched by HopCat, with all proceeds donated to PAWS Chicago. The 1st place winner will receive a HopCat prize package valued at $500 and the chance to compete for the $2000 grand prize. If you don’t want to subject your stomach, just hang out, grab a beer, some food, and enjoy the festivities! Find out more about this exciting event here!

River North: Jonesin’ for a bar crawl? River North has you covered with the “Boozin’ in your Onesie Bar Crawl”! The kick-off party begins at 12 pm this Saturday, January 13 at Ironside Bar (546 N Wells St). If you haven’t registered already, you can do so here! Late registration will take place at the second and third venues, Bar Cargo and the Flamingo Rum Club. Your ticket price includes a LED bracelet indicating when to head to the next venue, a 17 oz. color changing cup, videographers and photographers joining you throughout the crawl, a cash prize for the Top Scariest, Funniest, or Sexiest onesies, entry to 8 venues with no cover, 40% off drink specials, and 25% off food specials! Register in advance here and get your crawl on!

Logan Square: This Tuesday, January 16, join City Lit Books for a tribute to Denis Johnson, in conjunction with the release of his final book The Largesse of the Sea Maiden. Denis Johnson was a two time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a National Book Award winner. This collection of short stories is about mortality, transcendence, and aging and was finished shortly before the author’s death. Local authors, including Rebecca Makkai, Juan Martinez, Nami Mun, Adam Morgan, and Amin Ahmad will participate in the tribute event. These authors were selected for the event because they seem to have been influenced by Johnson’s work. They will read from Johnson’s new book, share original work in response to or inspired by Johnson, and comment on the influence his writing may have had in their own lives. The event begins at 6:30 pm.

Evanston: Are you ready to get your rock on? This Saturday, January 13, come to Evanston Rocks and see The PettyBreakers. The PettyBreakers are the nation’s premier “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” tribute act. Based out of Southern California, this band recreates the sights, sounds, and experiences of a Tom Petty concert. Tickets start at just $15 and the concert begins at 8 pm. Buy your tickets here now!

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

New Year’s Day can be a tricky time to find someplace to eat in the city. Many restaurants close for the holiday, or have limited hours. We knew we’d be in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, as we had plans to see a movie at the Davis Theatre. A friend of ours recommended Garcia’s, a Mexican restaurant at the intersection of Western and Lincoln. We went in around 3 pm on New Year’s Day and were seated right away. The restaurant is huge, with a large number of tables. We were pleasantly surprised at how cheap everything is! The prices are so reasonable and the menu has a huge selection. After looking at the drink menu, I couldn’t resist ordering a margarita (it was only $7!). I ordered mine on the rocks with salt. It was giant and so tasty! I couldn’t believe it was such a steal. I was overwhelmed by the giant menu, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to order. My boyfriend is much more decisive than I am and he chose the Carne Asada burrito: skirt steak, beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese. The burrito was very sizable and was packed full of steak. He also asked for a small bowl of green salsa on the side, which was deliciously spicy. I was pretty hungry and decided on the three taco dinner. I ordered one chorizo taco, one Chile relleno taco, and one al pastor taco. This was gigantic! I could easily have done with the two taco dinner, or even just two tacos a la carte. But man oh man, was it delicious! I have never had a Chile relleno taco, so it was really fun to try something totally new. The pepper was giant and both stuffed and smothered in cheese. The chorizo taco was my favorite! The chorizo was so spicy, perfectly complemented by the fresh and crunchy veggie toppings. By the time I got to the al pastor, I was so full, I couldn’t finish. But the meat was wonderfully spiced and I love pineapple on my tacos, so I was pleased. Overall, Garcia’s was a fantastic meal (and a great deal!). We will definitely be back!

Garcia’s is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 am to 1 am, Fridays from 10 am to 3 am, Saturdays from 10 am to 4 am, and Sundays from 10 am to 12 am. They are also available for take-out and do take reservations.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

Much like a mechanic might be more likely to notice an odd sound coming from a car, an interior designer will be more inclined to spot problems with the decor in your home. It’s what they do every day and is something they’ve been trained for.

Interior designers notice dozens of traits in a home – particularly the negative ones – including the following.

1. Poor Flow

While the first thing that you might notice about another person’s house is their taste in decor, one of the first things that interior designers spot is the flow of the space. How the furniture is placed impacts flow of traffic, and if your furniture is not arranged properly, it could interrupt how people are able to move around in a room.

This issue is more common with open floor plans which can cause some confusion with homeowners when it comes to placing furniture in appropriate spots. Adding pieces in the wrong places actually cuts off the open concept, which is the opposite of what this type of floor plan is supposed to offer. One major blunder that homeowners often make with open floor plans is putting a sofa against a wall in a large room, which can actually make a room feel smaller than it really is.

Sometimes there’s little you can do about a poor layout if there are architectural mishaps that make furniture arrangement difficult, such as the odd placement of doorways or overhead light wiring connections.

But there are ways to counter these issues with the proper placement of furniture, which can improve function and flow of a room. Avoid having too many pieces in the area, and arrange chairs and sofas in such a way that they face focal points – such as televisions or fireplaces – without you having to go out of your way to move around them.

2. Too Much Clutter

When it comes to improving the look of any room in the home, less is usually more. Too much “stuff” in a room can make it feel overly cluttered, and we’re not just talking about trash. Even your decor and accents can create a cluttered look in your home if there’s just too much of them.

Not everything you own or hold dear to you necessarily has to be on display. Too many little gadgets can create visual confusion and make a room feel uncomfortable. Instead, pick just a few pieces to keep out and make sure there is plenty of surface space between each piece.

3. No Theme

Every room should ideally have some sort of theme. Having a theme makes it easier to furnish and decorate a room to keep some continuity in line. Without some uniformity in colors or style, the room can feel a bit off-balance.

One way to avoid this issue is to pick one color – ideally a neutral hue – and build on that by adding just a couple of other more prominent colors that complement the base color to ensure some level of coordination.

4. Off-Scale Pieces

Whether you’ve got oversized pieces in a small room or many small pieces in a large room, failure to furnish according to scale can make a space feel a little bit off. Interior designers have an uncanny ability to spot rooms that lack proportion to the pieces within them.

Before you pick out your furniture and accent decor, measure the room they’re going to be placed in. It’s important to pay attention to the size of pieces relative to the size of the rooms they are being put in.

5. Bad Lighting

You could have the best layout and properly arranged furniture that’s to scale with the size of your room, but if the lighting is inadequate, your interior decor will suffer. Just because the room doesn’t have lots of natural light flowing in doesn’t mean you can’t adequately illuminate the space. With the right types and amount of lighting, you can make a massive difference to the look and feel of the rooms in your home.

Consider layering the lighting in each room of your home. For instance, your kitchen could have pot lights, pendants lamps, a central chandelier, and under-cabinet lighting, while your bedroom could have recessed lighting, wall sconces, and table lamps. Changing the ambiance and look of a room can be easily and quickly done just by making some adjustments to the lighting, but many homeowners often overlook this important design element.

6. Drapes That Are Too Short (Or Long)

Ideally, your window drapes should just graze the floor. Any gap between the bottom of the drapes and the floor itself make your window treatments look like they’re too short for the room. You might notice this design flaw, but interior designers definitely do.

The same can be said about drapes that are too long. Any more than a couple of inches of extra fabric can make your room look as though the ceilings are very low. To avoid this blunder, make sure you meticulously measure both the space between the floor and the drapery rod, as well as the length of the drapes themselves.

7. Wrong-Sized Area Rugs

This is an issue that interior designers see all the time and is a mistake that can compromise the decor of the room. No matter what size your living room is, an area rug smaller than 8 feet by 10 feet will make it look out of place. Anything smaller than this size will make it look as if you’ve mistakenly placed a doormat in the middle of the room.

A small rug might be fine in a foyer or at the foot of your bed, but it will take away from the esthetics of your room. Go for rugs that are big enough in surface area that they can easily accommodate an entire sofa.

8. Lack of Character and Personal Style

The way your home is decorated should say something about you and your personality. Designers are often able to get a sense of your personal taste and style by the way you’ve decorated and furnished your home. But simply mimicking what you saw in a magazine or furniture store won’t showcase your personality.

While interior designers certainly help their clients outfit their homes with stylish pieces, they don’t sacrifice homeowners’ own personality and tastes as a result. What an interior designer might like or dislike doesn’t matter if the end result is something that reflects their clients’ lifestyle.

The Bottom Line

If an interior designer visited your home today, would any of the above factors be a problem? If so, perhaps a call to a professional might be in order. You’d be amazed at what a few subtle changes in your home’s decor or furniture placement can do to the overall look and feel of your interior.

Buying a home for the first time comes with its own set of lessons to be learned and potential mistakes to be made. But while you can always learn through trial and error, you’ll be better off learning from the mistakes of others, especially when you’re talking about something as significant as a home purchase.

Here are some of the more common lessons first-time homebuyers have learned from their own experiences that you may want to take into consideration.

1. Your Pre-Approved Amount is Your Absolute Max

One of the first things you should do before you begin your house hunting process is get pre-approved for a mortgage. That way you’ll be able to determine how much you’ll be able to afford and focus your attention on properties that fall within your budget. Not only that, you’ll be perceived as a serious buyer to sellers, which can go a long way if you’re looking to buy in the middle of a hot seller’s market.

But just because you’re pre-approved for a specific amount does not mean that you should necessarily look at properties in the upper range. Doing so could potentially leave you with little money left over to pay for other expenses, such as utilities, groceries, and your retirement savings. Rather than become “house poor,” you’d be better off spending a lot less than what your mortgage broker says you may be able to get approved for.

2. Start Saving Up Well in Advance

Buying a house is a big deal, obviously. It’s probably going to be the most expensive purchase you ever make in your entire life and will require significant financial savings.

More specifically, you’ll need a decent-sized down payment to get approved for a mortgage. The more expensive the home, the higher this down payment will likely be. The more you can save up in advance, the less you will have to borrow to finance your home purchase.

If you’re able to come up with at least 20% down, you could save yourself on Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) payments, which is applied to home loans that are more than 80% of the purchase price of a property. While this might sound like an astronomical amount (which it often is), it can be a lot easier to achieve if you start saving early.

At the very least, saving well in advance of your home purchase will increase the chances of getting approved for a mortgage with reasonable terms. Putting away a few dollars every month starting at an early age can turn into a sizable amount when you’re finally ready to buy.

3. Be Realistic About Your Needs and Wants

Every buyer has their own set of desires for the home they plan to purchase in the future and should keep this list handy when they visit homes on the market. However, it’s important to be realistic about the traits on this list relative to what your budget is. You might not necessarily be able to get everything on your wish list of your budget is rather tight.

Try to separate your “wants” versus your “needs” when visiting homes, and make sure you pay attention to the types of homes and the features they have within your price range. Doing so will give you a good idea of what you can expect to find with the money you have to spend. Just remember that when you’re on a budget, you might not necessarily be able to get everything you want. The sooner you accept this fact, the lower the odds of you getting disappointed.

4. Use a Mortgage Specialist to Shop Around For You

Rather than heading straight for the local bank for a mortgage, speaking with different lenders could land you a much better rate. Much like you would shop around to find the best price on any other type of product, you’ll want to compare rates with various lenders. A lower interest rate can potentially save you thousands of dollars over the term of your mortgage, so it’s worth it to take the time to shop around for the best home loan package.

While you can certainly do this yourself, you can save a lot of time by having a mortgage broker do this for you. Brokers don’t work for banks; instead, they work for you, and as such, they have your best interests in mind. This could translate into a lot of money saved.

5. Budget For Unexpected Expenses When You Close

Closing costs can really add up, and a lot of newbie buyers may assume that the spending stops after the house has been financed and the real estate commissions have been paid. Unfortunately, the costs associated with buying a home continue after you close.

There are PMI payments (if applicable), homeowner’s insurance, property taxes, maintenance, utilities, appraisal fees, moving fees, and even expenses related to furnishing the home. Be sure to tally up the potential costs associated with each and budget accordingly so that you’ve got enough money to cover these closing costs.

6. Attend Your Home Inspection

A home inspection is a crucial contingency to include in your offer. It essentially gives you a chance to have a licensed professional inspect the property and ensure it is in proper condition before you take possession. But just because you schedule an inspection doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be there.

In fact, it’s recommended that buyers attend the home inspection. This will provide them with the opportunity to ask as many questions as possible and get educated on the systems and components of the home while your inspector is still there. You’d be amazed at how much you can learn from a couple of hours of scoping out all components of the home with a professional inspector.

7. Don’t Forgo the Help of a Real Estate Professional

As a buyer, there’s no reason not to hire a real estate agent to help you find the right home and negotiate a deal on your behalf. Typically, buyers don’t pay commissions anyway – usually the seller does, though this can be different in some cases.

Your agent will help you find homes that meet your criteria, negotiate with the seller to get the best price possible, and even help you after you take possession. Before you start your home search, make sure you’ve teamed up with a professional real estate agent who has your back. They’ll do their best to make the home buying process as seamless as possible.

The Bottom Line

Buying your first home may be an incredibly exciting time, but it can also be filled with unknowns that could cause you to make a few mistakes along the way. Rather than learn the hard way, consider learning from those who’ve already been in your shoes. And as always, partner up with a seasoned real estate agent who will help guide you and steer you in the right direction.