Recycle Your Christmas Tree and Help Beautify Gwinnett County

Bring your Christmas tree to one of these locations in Lawrenceville and help Gwinnett County parks and properties.

Now that Christmas has come and passed, what to do with that old tree? Rather than just dragging the tired tree to the curb, why not give it a second life?   Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is asking you to bring your old tannenbaums to their annual "Bring One for the Chipper" tree recycling campaign. From now until Jan. 18, 2013, Gwinnett County residents can take their undecorated Christmas trees to one of several locations for recycling. In Lawrenceville, they are: Click here for other locations across Gwinnett County. On Jan. 26th the collected trees will be taken to Bethesda Park in Lawrenceville, where they will be shredded. Much of the mulch will then be used to help keep Gwinnett County Parks beautiful. Volunteers are needed for the …

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How to Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree

How to pick out the best tree for your home, preference and price point.

Picking out a Christmas tree can sometimes make you feel like you're in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Any given tree can either be too short, too tall, too bald, too bushy or have a myriad of other problems. So how can you tell which tree is the right one for you? To help select your favorite tree, the characteristics of the more popular species are listed below. Douglas fir:  This tree is generally available as a sheared tree and is the most common species found on tree lots. It has a nice fragrance and a medium-to-good shelf life. Because of the thick, bushy crowns, they do not lend themselves to large or heavy decorations.  This species is the easiest to grow because it is relatively problem-free.  It requires seven to eight years to …

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PETology

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Christmas tree safety tips for your pets

Thanksgiving is now behind us and Christmas is just around the corner. If you haven't already done so, you will probably soon put up your beautiful christmas tree for everyone to enjoy, including your four-legged family members. Pets are curious by nature and as expected, they will be sniffing around your tree trying to figure out what it is and why trees are suddenly growing inside the house. As harmless as you may think this is, if you are not careful, your christmas tree can create big problems for your inquisitive furballs. The most common types of christmas trees are fir, pine and spruce, and all of these can cause issues for your pets if they chew on them. The oils in the fir trees can be irritating to their mouth, which is seen as …

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Parent Patch

A Christmas Tree Story

There is nothing like putting up a Christmas tree with toddlers in the home.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is a no holds bar moment to decorate for Christmas. In my family, it is a travesty to wait until Christmas Eve to put your tree up, so of course my tree promptly went up on Sunday. This Christmas is especially special because my children are a little older and becoming more aware of when the Christmas holiday is in full swing. My son is three and my daughter is one. So of course this is exciting and new for them even though this is not their first Christmas.  So I pull the Christmas tree out and my son's face just lights up because he remembers what's in that box. And he immediately says, "Yay! it's Christmas! I love it Mommy! I love it." And my daughter just cocks her head to the side with the look of …

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Gwinnett's Ready to Light Up the Holidays

Gwinnett has announced its lineup for the 24th annual lighting of the county tree in Lawrenceville.

After Thanksgiving dinner is over, Gwinnett County invites everyone to come out and watch the lighting of the county's holiday tree. The festivities start Thursday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse in Downtown Lawrenceville.  The evening will include music from the Class Act Band, The John King Band and Lawrenceville's own Catherine Kimbro. There will also be free face painting and arts and crafts for the kids.  Fox 5 Atlanta reporter Randy Travis will once again serve as the event's emcee. The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6 p.m., and Santa Claus will arrive around 6:45 p.m. During the celebration, Gwinnettians will also get the chance to make the holidays better for others. Donation boxes for Toys for Tots will be …

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Seen on the Scene

Christmas Decorations Going Up Downtown

We spotted wreaths and garland going up on the Historic Courthouse grounds.

Today is Election Day, but the Christmas decorations are already up downtown. We saw equipment surrounding what will be the county Christmas tree once all the lights and the star are on it. Wreaths line the fences and the gazebo is trimmed with garland. Clear holiday lights wind around trees that still have gold, red and orange leaves hanging on to their branches. The Christmas tree will officially be lit at a celebration on the square Thanksgiving night.

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