Christmas Trees , one time

The recent news reports of a significant  increase in the sales of real Christmas trees, reminds me of December 2011, and my brief time in the Christmas tree business. 

Christmas Trees @ The Plant Ranch

It may not have been the best of business decisions, but I have no regrets about it at all. Mistakes often provide some of the best lessons in life. 

However, in my household growing up, people often second guessed you when you made an error or a mishap. Some still do that. It's one of the reasons, why I didn't share my idea with my father as I knew what his response would be , and it did prove true. But, I did discuss with Uncle Roger. Why ? Because he took a chance and went out on his own, The Plant Ranch. I'm sure he heard negative feedback from family when he left AJ SCHMITT & Sons farm.

Uncle & I discussed where to get the trees (Upstate NY wholesale Christmas tree farm near Syracuse). He said yes to letting me use his Plant Ranch yard to set up operation, when I went to pay him $400 for rent, he only took a $100 bill, family & brotherly love. He left the door to his house open when he was away , so I could warm up or use bathroom if needed. After all, I knew him much more than just simply as an uncle, for all of the 1970s I saw him daily during the farm seasons on the farm. Worked next to him in the fields. A trusting man , who knew that my brother & I could be trusted to do the job in the same way others a decade older would do. 

We discussed the logistics, where to setup the trees, pricing, how to get the trees, signage, etc. The only thing I wished I would've listened was his advice to cut my order down significantly, he proved to be right. I as a novice, was overly ambitious in what I thought I could sell.

So, the weekend before Thanksgiving 2011, I rented a flatbed truck , bought heavy  ropes and two by fours to secure the load and off to the Syracuse tree farm. Wow, 200 trees fill up the truck bed quickly. It was windy on Rt. 81, I could feel the truck being swayed, I stopped and tightened the ropes. 

Roger was up in Vermont on the Monday morning that I pulled into his yard to unload my trees  He had assumed I had told my father of my business venture, no I hadn't, and he had mentioned to my father about it. Damn. Sure, enough I wasn't in the yard for 30 minutes when Pop showed up. His first words where not of encouragement, but it's going to take you  all day to unload. No comment. How are you going to sell all those trees? He often immediately said what he thought, I learned in the business world that doing so will quickly sink you. 

I asked him to go into Farmingdale, and hire a day worker. There were many men, who for  $100 & lunch,  would give you 8 hours of manual labor. The man & I had the truck unloaded  & trees stacked or setup by noon  Dad employed him to do fall cleanup & gardening at his house for the balance of day. 

It was very warm that late November, so after the trees were unloaded stacked or setup, I needed to drench the trees  with water to keep them from drying out. 

I repeated that a few times over the next month. I did have a lot of trees to sell, but I was undaunted. I drove to Charlotte to celebrate Thanksgiving with Kristen. She & I made signs advertising the Christmas trees for sale at The Plant Ranch , she was encouraging. She often called to see how the sales were going, or lack thereof .

I wasn't on LI for Thanksgiving that year, but other family members were shown my biz operation by Dad. No encouraging words, but one sibling like Dad simply said that's a lot trees, she inherited my Dad's trait of pointing out obstacles.

I did have support and encouragement from other family & friends. A few cousins bought trees from me, and many friends. Roger was encouraging, and I think he enjoyed me being there everyday. My aunt had died in September 2010. My brother, although he expressed his opinion that I wasn't set up ideally, called & told me if my signs were down or where to put a sign. Peter also was instrumental in helping me getting rid of all the excess trees, a day or so after Christmas he borrowed a truck from his work and was able to dump them in the sand pit. Otherwise, I may have been up shxt's creek.

Kristen came to town for Christmas , and sat by the fire reading and visiting with me for a couple of afternoons giving me moral support. My cousin Paul in from California did the same. My Aunt Joan, brought over fire wood, coffee, and offered her  encouraging Irish words.

Nope, I wouldn't do again. But, there are many things I wouldn't do again after the experience.

But, I don't regret it. It was the last Christmas that both my father & uncle experienced. My father would often come by to visit & shoot the breeze, and Roger enjoyed having me there. 

Dad died 3 1/2 months later, Roger the following November. I said goodbye to them both on their final day or almost final days. I said more than goodbye, I told them thank you & that I loved them.

I can't believe it's been 9 years since I sold Christmas trees at the Plant Ranch. Good memories of love & family. 

Merry Christmas 🎄🎄! 

God Bless! Always remember it's the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.