Faith Macale
It started with seeing a Christmas Tree on the side of the road, and this sparked an idea for Fraser Rise local Tiarne Riley to save it from going to the landfills.
On Monday, November 11, Ms Riley posted a call out on Facebook to give her old Christmas trees that will not be in use this year so she can make a Christmas forest in her front yard.
“We like to decorate with lights typically, but we wanted to do something a bit more sustainable,” she said.
“Realising that everyone’s throwing out all of their old Christmas trees this time of year, we thought what better way to partake in being sustainable so we’re going to do that.”
So far, Ms Riley has collected 11 trees with more to come in the coming weeks.
“We’re accepting trees until December 9, so it would be very fun,” she said.
“We are going to get everything together and decorated before the ninth and then we’ll launch on the 10th.”
“We’re inviting anyone that wants to come and decorate a tree. We’ve got lots and lots of decorations.”
Ms Riley said it is important for them to be mindful of the environment, which is why they chose to use donated Christmas trees this year.
“We use a lot of pre-used products around the house,” she said.
“We try to have options that are a bit better for the environment.
“For us, it’s just a bit of a no-brainer to try and do something like that.”
Although a Christmas forest is the big picture for Ms Riley, she just wants it to be a great memory for her kids, and the children in the neighbourhood.
“It’s something that they can look back on and think, ‘Oh, I remember that time that mum did that crazy thing out the front’,” she said.
Besides the Christmas forest spectacle, Ms Riley will also be raising funds for the Cancer Council alongside the lighting up of the Christmas forest.
“I’m just going to be shaking that big old bucket outside,” she said.
“I’m just hoping to get some from anyone with loose change or anyone can come by and just donate.
“I know that everybody, especially out here in the west, is doing tough this year, so to be able to put something out there that just brings a bit of easy joy … if we get to share a bit of Christmas spirit, we’re very happy with that.”
