Welcome to 2024! It’s finally the new year, and if you celebrate Christmas that means one of two things: either you’re putting your tree back in that old box in the basement, or you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of the dying fire hazard that was once a delightful decoration. Home renovation star Joanna Gaines (of Fixer Upper and Chip and Joanna Gaines fame) shared her super eco-friendly way to get rid of her family’s Christmas tree, and it might make you wish you had goats stalking your backyard for food.
What Does Joanna Gaines Do To Get Rid Of Her Christmas Tree?
I’ve been a dedicated member of the Fake Christmas Tree Club since way back, largely because my mom (wisely) decided not to deal with the upkeep involved in hauling a real one into our home. As those of you who prefer the real deal know all too well, after a few weeks of having one of those around, it starts to dry out and drop needles, meaning it’s got to go! Magnolia Network maven Joanna Gaines has a cool way to rid her house of the holiday artifact, and, yes, it does involve her goats. Take a look!
WHOA! Alright, first of all, can we just talk about how massive that tree is? Judging by the looks of it when they set it up, I’d say it’s got to be at least a 12-footer. According to that Instagram post of the Fixer Upper: The Castle host, the pièce de résistance of her large family’s Christmas decor was up for about five weeks, meaning it was definitely time to turn that bad boy over to the goats.
Anyone who follows the home renovation guru (who first made her mark along with husband Chip Gaines when their uber popular show hit HGTV in 2013) knows that her family calls a 1,700-square-foot house on a 40-acre farm outside of Waco, Texas home, and if you haven’t gotten enough glimpses of the property on Fixer Upper (Gaines’ cooking show, Magnolia Table, films in a different location), you get a good sense of what life looks like for the family in that clip.
While we can also spy some cows (and at least one horse) in that video, the goats are definitely the stars of the show. Apparently, goats love to eat tree bark and leaves, and at least 10 of them gathered to have a nibble after the old tree was delivered to their pasture.
Just as when the tree was brought in, it appeared to be no small feat to get that thing out of the house, despite the double doors making the process easier. Considering the mess it left behind, I have to wonder if the mom of five (who has an intriguing, at-home phone rule for Chip and the kids) ushered one of those goats indoors to clean up all the fallen needles. I know that if I were the type of person to live in a rural environment and own goats, I certainly would have. I say if you’re going to make like Jo and feed your old Christmas tree to the goats, why not go all the way?
