Comments on: News Flash!!! Reserve your FRESH Douglas Fir Christmas Tree Now!

By: Celine

Celine — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:34:02 +0000

Hi!

Are you still supplying pine trees to S&R this year? If so, when is the expected arrival in Manila? I already checked with S&R and they cannot give a firm date on this. I just would like to know if it will be available by October or November.

Also, how long does a tree normally last? will it last until January?

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:02:22 +0000

Would like to get a live tree this year. Me and my wife spent our first Christmas as a married couple with a live tree in Malaysia last year. We bought it in Ikea. It was very cheap. The stand is more expensive than the tree.

It was a lovely 6ft tree. Short but very stout. Very nice smell. I remember that whenever we come home from work, the tree’s scent filled our room.

Can we get a shorter tree here to fit our crampy condo? 5-6 ft should be ok.

By: blu racoon

blu racoon — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:53:38 +0000

i am also a christmas freak , but to me the only specie of cut evergreen that can endure all the tropical weather like manila would still be the noble pine tree.
well simply because it has a better shape , long lasting freshness as to compared to the douglas fir , well over load it with lights and it will just invite a fire hazard to happen very soon ast it will dry up the needles of the tree .
to maintain a fresh cut evergreen really needs a good metal christmas tree stand that yoi willl fill with a christmas tree preservative to keep it green anf fragrant so that yoi will enjoy it longer. and also just like the local counterparts the ones grown in tagaytay and sold in mckinley in december will not hold as the vendors would promise , simply because they are sold and displayed under the sun and are not kept in the shade di ba , so how willl it ever be possible to enjou it till after the holidays?

By: carol

carol — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:37:13 +0000

I got one two years ago at Cost U Less, but I claimed my order as late as possible so the tree could spend the maximum time in their low-temperature storage. I think I got mine in late November and it happily stayed fresh till past the holidays.

By: sister

sister — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:13:03 +0000

You should have a nine foot Fraser…

By: CecileJ

CecileJ — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:47:22 +0000

Stef, nice idea re local trees but potted, not cut down. My Ma has a place in Tagaytay and I’ll try to experiment on potted trees for Christmas Future. Wish me luck…

By: kurzhaar

kurzhaar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 01:54:42 +0000

Wow, I have to say I was stunned at the idea of shipping live (well, cut-down) trees across the Pacific. Even before the general public became aware of carbon footprints, we never did “dead trees” in my household. We choose a potted live tree and bring that in for the holidays, and then plant it once it’s grown too large to drag into the house for the next season. We’ve had spruces and pines, palm trees and lime trees. I’ve taken dead tree branches and decorated those as well. Make your own traditions, I say. :)

By: SimplePleasures

SimplePleasures — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:29:00 +0000

hmmmmm…i have never smelled a real christmas tree before let alone seen REAL LIVE christmas tree…WOW!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:31:22 +0000

stef, click on the link in the main post “plastic trees.” For many years we purchased locally farm raised Christmas trees. The man who sold them to us (Mang Serafin) passed away two years ago and his family apparently hasn’t bothered to continue the tradition. These were tropical pines, no fragrance, raised in Batangas. They weren’t ideal but they were a decent local substitute. The ones from Baguio are actually practically an endangered tree in that so few remain, and aren’t ideal for Christmas in the lowlands as they have a more rustic shape, longer needles and fewer of them. But as with many things in the Philippines, the economies of scale do not exist, our local tree supplier would charge us up to DOUBLE what you pay for an imported cut pine tree, shipping across the pacific in a refrigerated container included. And in a good year, Mang Serafin would probably sell a total of just 200 trees. As for S&R, they brought in only ONE container for all of Metro Manila, so they only think 500 trees will be sold in this market of over 13 million population. Plastic and typically Chinese made trees are by far the choice of the majority… unfortunately, I think.

By: stef

stef — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:00:35 +0000

Not suggesting that you change your traditions at all, but maybe you have suggestions for the other people who 1) can’t afford this, and/or 2) would rather buy something local to support local economy and minimize environmental impact, and/or 3) don’t like plastic either. Are there people in the Philippines that raise trees for Christmas? If not, what are the best alternatives in your opinion (e.g., other types of trees, or creative kinds, e.g., tingting)? Did anyone ever take Mang Serafin’s place?

Surely if the demand is that great one or two local farmers could be persuaded to raise more trees there? It’s not like it hasn’t been done before. Maybe even a CSA-type arrangement, where consumers can pay for the stock ahead of time, be willing to take risks (weather and otherwise) with the farmer and reap the benefits at harvest time…. It seems you have enough readers and connections to be able to put this together, even if it takes a few years ’til you’ve got great, local, live trees. Kids could even help take care of their tree, visit it regularly and develop some connection to the land, learn about local agriculture, etc. Just a thought.