Sherwood's Almanac
December 2009
Most of this month has revolved around Christmas, both our own, and selling Christmas trees for the first time.
6 December
Holidays -- family and friends tour.
Tons of contacts -- interest in trees.
For the first time we decorate a SFTF Christmas tree.
13 December
- Outside Christmas Trees
20 December
- Fame in the Edmonton Jouranl
27 December
- Analysis of the Christmas Tree Season
Week starting 6 December 2009
Holidays
Just got back from holidays. Saw friends in Vancouver, spent American Thanksgiving with my sister on Orcas Island, visited my aunt Jeannette and uncle Bill near Yakima, spend a couple days with Laura's brother Jamie and family in Clarkston Washinton, then home. Not quite two weeks, and we missed all the bad weather traveling.
The Christmas Tree experiment seems to be working like gang busters. Lots of calls while we were on holiday. Lots of calls on the answering machine when we got home.
A Sherwood's Forest Tree
Gotta use our own product. In a wind or stray moose, a scots pine in our yard had the top 6 feet broken off. So I brought it in to use as our tree. Must have happened a while ago, the needles were already a bit stiffer than normal. Anyway, we'll keep it set up until needles drop. I want to see how long a scots pine keeps. If they are good keepers, then I can start selling them earlier.
Christmas Presents
Laura and I decided that it is so easy to get wrapped up in what to give each other that we wouldn't do it this year. At least not at Christmas. Her birthday is at the end of January. So we will do a modest exchange then.
Hot November
According to PFRA's Drought Watch web site November was over 5 degrees warmer than average for almost all of the prairies. No wonder I was planting up to the day I left on holiday.
Week starting 13 December 2009
I was in town some time this week, don't remember what day, and it occured to me that having an outdoor decorated Christmas tree may help sales. So I stopped at Walmart and bought unbreakable ornaments -- silver and gold tinsel garlands and red bead chains. They weren't expensive.
Found out that decorating a tree outside is a different proposition. Because you view it from further away, the ornaments have to be bigger. Also the silver garlands are invisible against the snow. Didn't bother with lights, since people wouldn't see it lit up. (We only sell trees during daylight hours.) No one noticed. Next year I will decorate one out at the tree yard.
When we were on holiday, one of the people we visited gave us last years outdoor lights. (They always buy new ones each year.) So I had an extra 3 strings. Looked at our own collection. Looked at the yard. So this year I lit 4 trees in our yard with about 50 lights each.
Week starting 20 December 2009
23 December 2009
I'm famous. For 15 minutes anyway. Reporter and photographer from Edmonton Journal came out to do pic and story about U-pick Christmas trees.
Of course the publicity is too late to do me any good. Maybe next year I should write a story/press release and send it out to all the local papers.
Week starting 27 December 2009
27 December 2009
The Chrismas tree season is over. We sold 12 trees on two weekends for a tot al of about five hundred bucks. Overall the return was better than farmer's markets.
I did this as a market test: Did people want to come and cut their own tree? I placed an free ad on PickYourOwn.org, and made a 2 paragraph mention on the services page on my web site. The phone calls started in October Then, the last two weeks in November I went on holiday. Must have gotten two dozen calls on Laura's cell. Got home to another score. The next three weeks saw a dozen contacts a week.
The only reason I have any trees left at all is that most people either didn't want a pine, or wanted a bushier tree than what I currently sell.
So yes. There is a market.
Long range: I'd like to sell about 200 premium trees per year for about 50 bucks each. Do this mostly on the 5 weekends prior to Christmas. Possibly sell home made ornaments too. Give hot chocolate to anyone crazy enough to brave the Christmas Tree Maze.
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