Is there a green alternative when it comes to Christmas trees? Many love the smell of a real tree but hate the thought of cutting down a tree just for a few weeks. The same group also dislike the plastic and metal alternative that eventually fills the landfill with something that doesn’t readily decompose. A viable alternative may be branches from an evergreen tree that have been pruned from your own backyard or from a nearby farm. One large branch can be supplemented with many smaller branches to give it a “fuller” look.