Christmas-tree-ageddon in Paris

In the UK, taking your Christmas decorations down after the 6th of January brings bad luck, so they say. In the France they don't seem to have this superstition. Christmas decorations hang suspended across the streets of Paris as late as February and March. There is a small delicatessen near us where the Christmas decorations hanging across the shop front stay there 12 months a year. Hey, why take them down, when you just have to put them up again?

Through out the whole of January Christmas trees appear on the pavements of Paris. Strewn around lampposts.

By trees.



Tossed in gutters.


Here the tree has been dismembered.


Some body is making an effort here. It's IN a bin and everything.

Here the Christmas tree has been put in a biodegradable gold plastic bag. Apparently this is no longer what one should do, there are drop off points where you can take your Christmas trees all over Paris. They should not be left there in bags, and even less so dumped in the street.

Here the road cleaning heros of Paris are taking away a truck load of badly diposed of Christmas trees.


And here somebody is simply having a wee joke.

I spotted the below tree after writing the above post. That's no mean achievement to get that tree up there. I shall be keeping an eye on it to see how long it stays there. Watch this space!

Apparently in 2011, 29 000 trees were collected from official disposal points in Paris and in 2012 this figure had gone up to 37 000. People are learning. The hope is that in 2013 the figure will be greater still.

For information of where to drop off your Christmas trees in Paris here are two links with all the details:
Où amener son sapin? (Mairie de Paris).

Recyclage des sapins de Noël : où déposer votre sapin à Paris en 2013.

We have a fake Christmas tree of sorts that is has now been used 8 times. I think we'll carry on with it for a few more years.