Christmas trees are edible! Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of Vitamin C. We don’t recommend you start munching on the one in your front room though. They often have toxic moulds growing on them, and with all the dusty decorations on them too, you can find something better to get your daily Vitamin C intake from. Many people, including Bill Clinton, are allergic to Christmas trees. This is because the moulds that grow on the trees, ‘terpenes’ (a chemical in evergreens’ sap) often trigger allergies. On a similar note, did you know that an estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating spoiled Christmas leftovers?

	Here’s an experiment to last you right through the holiday season...
	You will need:
	One (natural, not plastic) Christmas tree. A calendar or list of days your tree will be up. Kitchen scales.
	What to do:
	After your tree’s been up for a day, carefully collect up all the pine needles that have fallen (if you don’t have one anyway, it might be wise to place a mat under the tree to help you collect the needles).
	Weigh that day’s fallen needles, and record the amount on your calendar. If the weight is so small that it doesn’t record on your scales (that is, you only have very few needles at first) then count them and record that instead.
	Repeat this every day, recording and plotting your results as you go.
	When you take the tree down compare the weights, and see what days your tree lost the most needles.
	Try to get friends to join in and see if their trees had different needle falling patterns. What do you think affected the differences? Was it height, shape, type, amount of decorations, humidity of surroundings; have a think.
	The HowStuffWorks weblink has tips on Christmas Tree Care; does your experiment prove any of this advice as useful?