While the debate over when to put up your Christmas decorations is as evergreen as your tree's foliage, there is more consensus about taking them down.

It's been January for an entire few days. Most people spend this week putting ornaments back into their boxes, destringing lights and looking forward to shelves free of elves. If you bought a live Christmas tree this year, Baldwin County's coastal cities wants them.

Residents of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are encouraged to donate their trees — stripped of all decorations, ornaments, tinsel, garland, etc. — to Gulf State Park's annual dune restoration project by placing them for subside pickup. Flocked trees will not be accepted.

Orange Beach's public works department will pick trees up Friday, Jan. 3. If you live in Gulf Shores, place your tree in a pile separate from other debris, and public works crews will pick it up with the last day being Jan. 24.

You can also drop off your undecorated Christmas tree at the Gulf State Park Beach Pavilion through Jan. 31. The drop-off area is beside the Dumpsters on the east side of the parking lot.

Once collected, these live trees will be placed along the edges of dunes in groups of three, creating a "U" shape. When the wind carries sand across the beach, the sand catches in the threes, building up over time and creating a new area of dune growth.

The following spring, park staff and volunteers plant native dune plants around the trees to further restore the natural habitat.