There's one holiday purchase that you can't exactly return. So people with real Christmas trees may be wondering how to get rid of them.

Harrisonburg's Public Works Department says the day to kick your tree to the curb is Monday, January 7.

Officials say if you put your tree out before then, the city will not pick it up. Once tree is picked up, it won't remain a tree for long.

"We'll chip them," says Kenny Knight, superintendent of Harrisonburg Public Works. "The Recreation Department in the past used them as ground cover. However, we'll chip them up into one of our leaf trucks and dispose of them at the land fill."

The city does not pick up trees at apartment complexes or on private roads. Knight also says people should not try to burn their Christmas trees.