When they set foot on the Christmas tree lot in 1983, then young Gina and Joe Mistretta didn’t suspect their purchase would become a member of the family.

They also didn’t know that one small act of non-consumerism — keeping the same Christmas tree for nearly two generations — would make a not inconsequential dent in helping the environment.

The Mistretta’s living tree is adorned with ornaments from all over the world and from as far back as the 1940s, flickering LED lights and ornaments from vacations. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

Joe Mistretta, Gina Mistretta and their youngest son Michael pose for a portrait next to the living Christmas tree they’ve had in their family since 1983 in Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

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The Mistretta’s living tree is adorned with ornaments from all over the world and from as far back as the 1940s, flickering LED lights and ornaments from vacations. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

A vintage treetop star on the Mistretta family living tree. The mid-century ornament came from Gina Mistretta’s family back in New York, and was used on her family’s tree as a child. The delicate ornament doesn’t fully function, and extra precaution is taken with its placement. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

The Mistretta family living Christmas tree they’ve had in their family since 1983, predating both of their children, in Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)



Gina Mistretta carried this manager display home from Italy on her lap while flying. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

The Mistretta’s living tree is adorned with ornaments from all over the world and from as far back as the 1940s, flickering LED lights and ornaments from vacations. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

The Mistretta’s living tree is adorned with ornaments from all over the world and from as far back as the 1940s including this 1940s ribbon style ornament in Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

The Mistretta family living Christmas tree they have been celebrating around since 1983 in Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)

The Mistretta’s living tree is adorned with ornaments from all over the world and from as far back as the 1940s including this bird ornament in Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG)



At the time, it was just a two-foot tall potted Scotch pine with a price tag under $20. It was barely big enough to hold a single set of lights.

But when Christmas 1983 was over their little tree looked anything but dead.

“It was sad to throw it away,” Gina Mistretta said.

So the Mistrettas saved it for the next year. Then the next. And so on. Today, the tree is — well, a little older than 34, but they can’t say for sure. They do know it’s older older than their children.

“We figure out how long we’ve been married by how old the tree is,” Joe Mistretta joked.

Their small act, saving a tree that might’ve been destined for the landfill or a compost heap, had surprisingly big environmental impacts.

By a conservative measure, the Mistretta’s family tradition has captured at least 1,088 kilograms (or nearly 2,400 pounds) of carbon dioxide, said Cal State Fullerton professor John Bock, the director of the school’s Center for Sustainability.

That’s equal to not burning about 1,200 pounds of coal. Or, to put it in a couple other ways, it’s the same as switching 36 incandescent light bulbs to LED lights, or driving 2,668 fewer miles in an average gas-powered car, According to the Environmental Protection Agency.

And that doesn’t include the greenhouse gas emissions the Mistrettas didn’t generate by not having a fresh cut tree trucked down from Washington to Southern California 34 times.

By contrast, a natural tree bought each year for the same amount of time would generate about 374 pounds of carbon dioxide. A fake tree that is discarded every five years would use about 277 pounds of carbon dioxide over 34 years, Bock said.

What started as an effort to conserve a tiny bit of nature also turned into family lore.

Throughout the years they tended, trimmed and watered the Scotch pine, re-potting the ever growing tree several times. Every year, Joe saws the plant’s 10-inch diameter trunk just a bit, keeping it short enough to duck under the ceiling of their home and narrow enough to squeeze into a corner of the living room.

As the tree grew, so too did the Mistretta family.

In 1986, their son Joseph was born. In 1988, the family moved from La Habra to Irvine, their tree carefully strapped in the back of a moving van. In 1990, they had their second son, Michael. The boys, now 31 and 27, have never known another tree.

“I just hate coming down the street (after Christmas) and seeing people put out their tree,” said their youngest son, Michael, referring to the annual post-holiday garbage dump.

They’ve created tradition to go along with the tree. Every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, the family drags the tree from its resting place on the patio inside the house. While doing that, they make an effort to relocate the praying mantises that invariably make the tree their home during its annual stint outdoors.

The tree also plays its part in the family’s history. During the holidays, its branches are adorned with a clay gingerbread molded by their eldest, Joe, when he was in Kindergarten. Cardboard and glitter bird ornaments dating from the 1940s sit on other branches; same for a gondola bought on a family trip to Venice.

The tree’s quirks – its occasional tilt and its less-than-perfect shape – have made it all the more appealing.

“Some people need a perfect tree,” Gina Mistretta said. “That’s not us. We want something sentimental; colorful.”

The Mistrettas, now retired, have passed on their tradition to their eldest son Joe, who lives in the Bay Area. He and his girlfriend have their own two-foot tall potted tree, and plan to re-use it.

Michael, however, might eventually inherit the tree that started it all. Scotch pines typically live 150 to 300 years, and the Mistrettas have no plan to dump theirs.

“You’ll spread our ashes in it,” Joe Mistretta joked.