Although the holidays are a ways off, the Tree Guys have already started working on FUUSN’s annual sale of fresh-cut fir trees for your holiday decorating.In case any newcomers are reading this: we set up a lighted forest lot in the back yard of the church and sell trees to FUUSNites and the general community. All the set-up, sales, and clean-up are handled by volunteers from the congregation. It’s a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a significant fund raiser for the church.

We used a different supplier last year who proved to be much more businesslike and reliable than the one we had used in the past. Many of our customers commented on an improvement in both the quality and variety of the trees we had to offer. We have ordered our shipment from him again this year. The trees—400 of them–will be mostly Fraser firs, with some Balsam, Douglas, Cannan, and Concolor mixed in.

The not-so-welcome news is that our vendor’s shipping costs last year were higher than expected and he barely made any money on our order. He has raised his price per tree somewhat; our costs have gone up this year and so must our prices. We have tried to lessen the blow on our loyal customers in the community: pre-sales prices have gone up by $5 across the board, but the regular pay-on-the-lot price steps up more than $5 from the early-bird discount for the larger trees. This means that if you know you will want a large tree, you will save more money by paying for it ahead of time. We will have a table at coffee hour all the remaining Sundays in November where folks can order and pre-pay for trees to maximize their discount.    

Talk to whomever is covering the table about volunteering for a shift on the sales lot. That’s one of the most interesting parts of the whole effort, as long as you’re dressed warmly enough. People are usually in a pretty good mood when picking out a tree for inside their home—but everyone is a little different in how they go about it. Sometimes they want your help, and sometimes it’s best to let them work out on their own.

We’ll also try to get you to show up to unload the big truck full of trees. Delivery is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, in mid-afternoon. Mark that date on your calendar, because we need every able-bodied person we can find; otherwise, it’s a miserable back-breaking chore.

We will be open for business starting on the weekend of the Holiday Fair [12/7 and 8] and daily until Saturday 12/21—unless we sell out sooner, which we did last year. See you soon!

Thanks, the Tree Guys:
Barry Goldberg, Eric Haas, Bill Horne, Jonathan Lilienfeld, Ron Mayville, Eric Moore, Barney Freiberg-Dale, guy emeritus.

Annual disclaimer: The playful nickname “Tree Guys” is not intended to be patriarchal or exclusive, only descriptive. Historically all the folks dumb enough to spend a good part of December standing around in the dark and cold have been guys. We are always looking for additions to the team, and the instant we get a volunteer with a different self-identification we’ll become the Tree People or maybe the Tree Gang. All that’s really required is the commitment to show up and work outdoors in December whatever the weather.