The nightmare after christmas- 2021

Misty, 10 years old. thrown away in January

January is a lonely time for Christmas trees.

It takes approximately 10 years for these trees to grow.

They are sold at the end of every year, taken home by families, adorned with fairy lights and

baubles, cherished for about a month until the new year comes.

Then thrown outside in the new year.

10 percent of these trees are recycled,

My uncle has kept the same artificial tree for 22 years.

It's kept in a box, the rest of the year and taken out for the festive seasons.

He is not planning to buy a real tree for the rest of his life.

This is a bit of a controversial environmental topic,

as Christmas tree farms claim that for every tree that is cut down 10 more are planted.

https://www.greenmatters.com/p/real-vs-fake-christmas-trees

Frost, R. (2020). Is a fake Christmas tree better for the environment than a real one? [online] living. Available at: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/12/03/real-vs-fake-how-to-curb-your-christmas-tree-carbon-emissions [Accessed 02 Jan.2021].

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Still it's a very ironic concept to me that it takes 10 years for these trees to grow to desired height.

And they are cherished for only about a month.

These trees seem to have personalities and stories, it was hard to ignore them.

I wanted to pay tribute to all the losses, and give voices to inanimate objects.

I chose polaroid photography because of the contained look,

and the instant, ephemeral nature of it. Which seems to relate to the Christmas trees.

Buster-7 years old

Elijah, 12 years old

Elijah is the mascot of this series.

He looks like an abandoned alien that fell straight out of a spaceship.

Henry- 9 years old

Cordelia- 8 years old

Cordelia, 8 years old

She reminds me of a 1920s flapper, also of the character " Yzma" from the film.

" Emperors new groove "

I would like this series to continue, and document every January.