The initiative began in the 1980s amid a national movement to recycle Christmas trees. Local government leaders, as well as LSU scientists and environmental groups such as the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), sought to repurpose old firs that would have otherwise gone to landfills.

Have you started feeling the pressure of taking down your Christmas tree now that Dec. 25 has come and gone? New Yorkers used to have to wait for specific days set by the Department of Sanitation before curbing their trees for garbage collection.

We might agree when to put up the Christmas tree each year, but when do people in Mississippi take down their trees? It depends on who you ask.

Taylor Swift said, “we could leave the Christmas lights up ’til January,” and she was right. Thanks to social media, the holiday calendar has inched forward in recent years. We’re putting up our Halloween decorations in September and switching to Christmas before the sun sets on the Day of the Dead.