NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An East Nashville man is renting out live Christmas trees that he'll eventually plant at his family's farm. He’s on a mission to save the planet one tree at a time.
Preparing the cedar and pine trees for delivery is a labor of love.
“Lot of times you got to cut the roots back a little, but that’s OK,” Charles Smith said.
He said it's better than cutting them down.
“Maybe a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree but at the end of Charlie Brown, that Christmas tree is always pretty, it’s all about that, so while it might start off a little rough. It’s all about the ending because we all have rough beginnings sometimes, it’s how we end that matters,” Smith said.
While some say he's having a mid-life crisis, he prefers to call this project "love and revolution."
"I think a lot of the times we do what we thought we were supposed to do, what we needed, what society tells us to do, well now my revolution is I’m doing it for me, what I want to do, what I want to get out of life, and what I can give back," Smith said. "I want to give back living trees."
His next delivery brought him to Kimberly VanDusen's home. She said they love that their tree will be re-planted at a Kentucky farm.
"It’s just really nice to be able to still enjoy having a Christmas tree in our home, but feel like we aren’t doing as much damage to the environment," VanDusen said.
If they want, he will return the same tree to the VanDusen family next year. He hopes they will name their tree too.
His endeavor has been so popular, that he had to cap it at 23 trees this year. He hopes to expand the business in 2024.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
