Our tree totally dried out a week before Christmas, despite all the water I gave it. So, the day after Christmas, I wanted it out! Mike took it outside and just left it there because I wanted the trunk for something. A few days later, the kids wanted to play outside. I let them. Since our yard is a bit small and doesn't have any obvious forms of entertainment, they turned to the dead tree for fun. They got other sticks that they had collected and stored back there and proceeded to beat that poor tree until they knocked all the needles off and quite a few of the branches. I didn't care. I wasn't planning on using those parts and I knew they weren't going to hurt the trunk. They had fun and got a bit of exercise. And our yard had a lovely pine smell for quite a while after.
Here are some pics of the fun:
What do I want the trunk for? Well, I have a little art project planned for it. If/when I complete it, I'll post pictures.