At Holidays, Touch of Vermont Takes Its Place in Norwood 

By HEATHER HADDON

Every year, a modern-day Santa's sleigh makes its way from rural New England to the Bronx with its precious cargo. Though the sleigh is actually a semi-truck, and the route is no breeze at 300 miles of interstate, its contents are still a holiday essential. 

For nearly 20 years, Christmas trees seem to magically spring up at a stand on East 204th Street (between Decatur and Hull avenues) at the start of December. The outcropping of green imbues the shopping strip with a pungent fragrance, and offers a convenient place to pick up a holiday staple. But the purchase is only the last link in a chain of labor that begins several years earlier.

"It's a lot of work," said Bill, 44, who has worked for five years at the stand for a tree distribution company, and did not want to give his last name. "But I look forward to it every year."

What Bill enjoys most about his three weeks on this busy street is the very different environment. He and most of the hundreds of trees sold at the stand come from rural Vermont. And once they arrive in Norwood, Bill doesn't leave until the holiday's end. 

"It's not like home, but that's to be expected," he said, looking over to the truck that is home for the time being. He and his coworker, Elwin, take turns sleeping in the small camper. Between the two of them, the stand never closes.
"I get eight hours a night during the week and six during the weekend," said Bill, who had just woken up from his afternoon nap. Dressed in a full-body insulated suit, he took the last puffs off a cigarette before tending to a customer.
Terry and Tamara Lewis usually pass by the tree stand, but they stopped to buy this year. The couple wheeled up a black laundry cart from Bedford Park Boulevard in preparation.

"I'm looking for something full," Terry said to Bill. "I need something strong for when you have to trim to the branches."

Rifling through the layers of green still dusted with snow, Bill pulled out a six-footer. "Two customers came back to me today to say thank you," he said about the balsam fir. "You can have these trees until New Year's."
Tamara leaned in for the litmus test: that holiday pine fragrance. Apparently pungent enough, Bill bagged the fir, Tamara handed over $55, and Terry pushed off with the cart. 

Armando Flores carried his tree on his shoulder. "It's a good size for the living room," said Flores, who was walking with his wife and two boys up Hull Avenue. 
Local resident Ruben Rexach helps people carry their trees home for a tip. He's been a fan of the stand ever since he moved to the area 12 years ago. "Just the smell of pine is incredible," said Rexach, who used to manage a deli right across the street. "You can't find that much green in the Bronx other than in a park."

Getting that green to market is no easy process. The average Christmas tree takes seven years to grow to six feet, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Most trees come from farms, where they are grown like other crops (U.S. farmers planted about 70 million this year). 

The stand's selection is dominated by balsam firs, the most typical holiday tree, along with some fraser firs and white pines. Before the season's start, the distributor gathers enough trees to fill a semi-truck, which supplies stands across the city. 

The local stall is up by the first Saturday in December. "As soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is cut, people want to start looking at trees," Bill said. 
Even if they don't buy, plenty of passersby take notice of the stand. "Buy one," said one child as she tugged on an adult's arm. Others stopped and waved at Elwin as he sat in a small enclosed shelter near the trees. With his full white beard, many kids may mistake him for Santa. 

Bill is pleased by the volume of traffic on the strip. "We look for that in an area," he said.

Rexach looks forward to the time of year when the little red truck pulls up. "They are beautiful people," he said.

But the Bronx symbolizes work, not relaxation, to Bill and Elwin. "I'm happy when I get to go home," Bill said. 

So is his family. Bill works the rest of the year doing construction, which requires him to travel for long stretches. Though his four children used to think the tree job was more glamorous, they (and Bill's six grandchildren) wish he had more time with them during the holidays. "Now they ask how much longer until I'm going to be home," he said. 

Christmas is a job at the stand, but the meaning of the holiday is not lost on its tireless workers. Bill's family always sets up their tree before he leaves. And the significance is certainly felt by those who select the perfect evergreen from him. 

Eight-year-old Antonio Flores served as the family spokesman as he explained the tree's importance. "Each time when we have Christmas, we have a tree and put a star on top and pray," he said. 

There was only one person impervious to the festive sights and smells of the tree stand: a traffic agent who tucked an orange summons under the truck's wiper.

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