Well, in San Francisco, it's definitely getting so it makes more sense to rent than it does to own -- so we're not entirely surprised to hear of a program where the Friends of the Urban Forest will rent you a living Christmas tree, so you don't have to encourage people to cut trees down or get a chemical-filled artificial one.

So you pay $90 and you get a living tree, which after the holidays will be replanted in a neighborhood needing more greenery. As an extra bonus, they'll throw in some energy-saving lights for the tree too. They're a little scragglier than you might be used to -- but who cares, they're alive!

You can get a primrose tree, a Brisbane box, or a fruitless olive. ....And! If you kick in a little extra, you can have your Christmas tree planted in front of your own house! That way you'll never need to take those ornaments down!

Well, unfortunately, after we read the article and got all excited about it -- it turns out they've already rented all their trees out for the season. If you want one for next year, get yourself on the Friends of the Urban Forest email list at [email protected].

Picture from the FUF website