Christmas has come and gone, and your tree is probably on its way to becoming a fire hazard. So when you're ready to ditch your spruced up spruce or festive fir and you live in the City of Los Angeles, know that there are three ways to recycle that Christmas tree. more ›

When you think of recycling your Christmas tree, perhaps you don't first think of how it might help out your local water-dwelling creatures. But if so, you are remiss; this year, the Riverside County Waste Management Department and the California Department of Fish and Game are working together to turn your former ornament-hanger into a habitat for small fish. more ›

Yes, it's that time of year again. Second only in holiday-themed horror to safety footage of Halloween costumes bursting into flames comes the perils of dangerous merry-making, like menorah candles next to the curtains and a Christmas tree that never gets watered. more ›

The Living Christmas Tree Company in Redondo Beach offers a painless online ordering system and delivery service for live trees. It's a bit pricier than buying a cut tree, but it's the principal of caring for the environment. more ›

The Highland Park gallery Monte Vista is letting patrons check out a tree this season. You can call it a Christmas tree rental service, but they don't and the name they've chosen — the Portable Forest Tree Library — sounds way cooler. more ›

Tinsel tinsel everywhere and not a fire hazard in sight. That's the goal of the LAFD. Before your Christmas glow fades into a dead forest of dried pine it's time to think about the responsible disposal of your magical tree. more ›

While out shopping for strawberry and whipped cream birthday cakes, LAist spotted Miss Chinatown and her merry band of pretty princesses hanging out at Wonder Bakery! The beauty queen (in the gold dress) was nice enough to strike a pose in front of Chinatown's first Christmas Tree in Central Plaza. more ›

Is it the dangling ornaments glinting with sparkle that triggers warm memories? Or is it the scent of fresh pine wafting through the house carried on balmy SoCal breezes? If you're getting a Christmas tree this holiday season, and you didn't rush to your favorite local lot or to the garage where your faux tree is stashed right after the Thanksgiving leftovers were tossed in Tupperware, you've got some decisions to make: Real, fake, or rented? more ›

It's a Christmas Tree, a Hanukkah Bush, or a Kwanzaa Shrub. Call it what you will, but the bottom line is, it's a chopped down tree you hauled home on the roof of your car sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and it's now a brittle fire hazard taking up space in the house you resolved on January 1st to "Keep More Clean!" You may have also resolved to "Be More Green!" so let's start with recycling that Christmas Tree. more ›

A couple in their twenties who placed a candle under their Christmas Tree are probably feeling grateful they survived the fire they started around 9:45 p.m. tonight. Luckily, the newish two-story apartment building at 19039 Nordhoff Street in Northridge had a sprinkler system that extinguished the blaze before fire trucks arrived (sidenote: whatever happened to Season 2 American Inventor winner and Ventura County Firefighter Greg Chavez' Guardian Angel for situations just like this?). The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage--about half to the structure and half to personal items. No one was hurt, a good thing, especially for a holiday night like this. The last time someone died in Los Angeles due to a Christmas Tree fire was in 2006. more ›

In Culver City, Royal/T celebrates Christmas pop culture style. When we heard they had on display a one of a kind custom Tokidoki Christmas tree, we knew we needed to see it for ourselves and have lunch in their "Maid Cafe". more ›

Found in the skies above Beverly Hills, this is quite possibly one of the better Christmas trees around town. Well, at least better than this one. more ›

LAist Featured Photos pool photog Susan Sabo (aka smalldogs) nabbed this fantastic shot in Long Beach of a solitary holiday tree planted guerrilla gardening-style in the median. She explains:

i just noticed this tiny tree that someone planted on this divider. it looks like someone in the neighborhood got a live tree for xmas, then went out and planted it when they were done with it. i think that fucking rocks! more ›

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Christmas Eve is here. And today is no time for cynicism, irony or nastiness of any sort. Time instead to make something nice to eat, clink your glass with a loved one, and count your blessings with total sincerity. more ›

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas Tree shopping is in order, it's a good time keep in mind that when it comes time to get rid of that tree, you can recycle it. If you have a green yard trimmings container, then you can the tree up and place it in there. If not, it's a good thing the Department of Public Works is already pushing their Christmas Tree Recycling Program that will be... more ›

Last night I was out with my family going to dinner in downtown when we noticed the Christmas Tree was already up at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. They had a cherry picker going applying decorations. We walked over to check out out, and what did we see? Paint. 40 Gallons of Green Paint. I guess they could not find a tree just that right shade of green for Los Angeles. More pictures after the... more ›

Throwing your Christmas Tree on the curb is not so good. The mayor wants to plant a million trees, not haul a million to the landfills. more ›

The LA Times is reporting this morning that the UCLA system was hacked during the months of October and November, exposing the names, emails, and social security numbers of 800,000 current and former students. A letter that is going to be sent out today to the victims from Chancellor Abrams states that there is no evidence of misuse of the social security numbers... so far. "We take our responsibility to safeguard personal information very seriously.... more ›

If, unlike us, you don't procrastinate, you're already planning for the disposal of your Christmas tree. Maybe you already booked the full-service recycling disposal from the aptly-named California Christmas Tree Recycling. For a fee, they'll come to your house, drain the stand, remove the tree, vacuum the dropped needles and then take your holiday decor off to become mulch for more trees. For less dough, they'll grab it from your curb and make sure it ends up as mulch, not landfill. They'll pick up from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills to Koreatown (sorry, Silverlake). more ›

Still searching for that special Hanukkah or Chrismukkah gift? Ruth Andrew Ellenson has a suggestion for you – The Modern Jewish Girl’s Guide to Guilt – perfect for the girl or goy on your list (sorry, we couldn’t resist that one). more ›

Anyway, the date has triggered an epiphany of our own--exactly when can we reasonably expect Angelenos to take down all the holiday lights, trees and geegaws? more ›

Christmas in LA has always been kind of a muted affair. Too many of the hallmarks of the season are in short supply in SoCal. There's no snow, no sleigh rides, and palm trees just don't make a suitable substitute for Christmas trees. There's a reason they film all those Christmas movies in New York. There are no "Miracles on Wilshire Boulevard." So every year around this time, while New York transforms into a magical winter wonderland full of Christmas spirit, LA has always just kind of thrown up its hands, put up a few lights here and there and waited for spring to roll around. more ›