These British Columbians spruce up their homes with holiday trees year-round

It's mid-January, and most people who celebrate have taken down their Christmas trees and either boxed them up, put them out on the curb for pickup, or turned them into firewood. 

But what if Christmas trees weren't just 'Christmas' trees? 

What if trees were decorated for all occasions — Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and Halloween?

Two Prince George, B.C., women are doing just that.

Carol Jensen has given her Christmas tree new life by leaving it up year-round and decorating it to suit the season. This weekend she plans to string hearts and symbols of love around the tree, which sits near her front door for all who stop by to see. 

"People love the tree," she said.  

"I have a home-based business, so I have people coming in a couple of times a day and they absolutely love the tree. They'll just stand there and go 'that's just beautiful. That's so nice.' It brings them joy."

Jensen first bought this particular tree in the summer of 2020. She had a friend who did seasonal trees, and had seen the idea on Pinterest, so she decided to try her own. 

"It's just a creative outlet," she said. "I'm not a very creative person, so this kind of like, I can do this and it makes me feel good as well."

Vanessa Hamilton has taken a different approach. Rather than decorating one tree, she has several that she's spruced up with spray paint to match each celebration: pink and white trees for Easter, a black one for Halloween and multiple trees for Christmas. 

She's been putting the seasonal trees up since about 2015.

"I just wanted the kids to be happy," she said. 

"It's dark at night in the winter and the lights of the Christmas tree are so, so beautiful. It's just nice to have the ambience of the lights."

She also has a birthday tree, which is up for about three months from January to March when most of her family's birthdays are. The decorations get switched out to match each individual.

Fake trees aren't cheap, but Hamilton says she has only purchased two of her trees. The others have been donated by people getting rid of their old trees, who know how much she loves tree-decorating. 

Hamilton is already planning a new tree for the holidays in 2022; her daughter is coming home to Canada with her in-laws from England, so she's working on something special for them.

"I feel like they come all this way," she said. "I don't know why they want to come to Canada in December. It's -35 in Prince George."

Jensen says she hopes she inspires others to find something festive and fun to do year-round to keep the joy of the holidays alive. 

"It's a lot of fun," she said.

"Even when it's not decorated, it's kind of cool just to look [at] when it's all lit up still."