You have meticulously kept the Christmas tree watered so that it will make it through the holiday. But what should you do with it after the gifts are opened and the ornaments are packed away?

If you have even a bit of a yard, you can simply lean it against a fence or lay it on the ground to provide a habitat for small animals or a natural bird feeder, according to Capitalgardens.com.

A Christmas tree can provide terrific shelter in cold and windy conditions. Just make sure it is secure so it can’t blow around.

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After making sure the tree is secure, you can decorate the branches with a variety of easy-to-make food that will fuel the birds through the winter. From filling scooped-out orange shells with bird seed to making frozen suet ornaments, the website provides recipes that are easy enough for children to help with.

Other uses for trees involve cutting off the branches to use the trunk as a stake or to edge your borders. The whole thing can also be run through a shredder and used as mulch or to protect flower beds over the winter.

If these natural uses for the tree aren’t a reality for you, there are ways you can recycle them so that they don’t end up in landfills. Trees must be stripped of ornaments, lights, garland, tinsel and any other decorations.

Here is a look at where you can recycle trees in Lebanon County:

Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at mstallsmith@ydr.com or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith.