Hitching Dobbin to the sleigh and driving the family into the snowy woods to chop down a Christmas tree is not an option on Maui, but there are many kinds of trees to be had and many ways to get them - including cutting down an invasive pine and dragging it home for free.
Most people, however, will buy, and some already have done so.
Mainland trees began arriving Nov. 14, although tree lots didn't start opening until this past weekend. For homegrown trees, Mauians have at least three choices - Monterey pines grown in Kula, wild pines marching into Haleakala National Park and native trees like ohia and kului, which can be planted before or after Christmas.
There was extra uncertainty this year about trees. Mike Cuellar, general manager at Lowe's in Kahului, says he doesn't know how the rumor started, but "there was talk about trees not being brought in in the same quantities they have been in the past."
Plus, as Helen McCord of Kula Botanical Gardens said, there was some worry that the cutbacks in state agricultural inspectors would mean the containers would be stuck, unopened, at harbor piers.
In fact, neither happened.
Lowe's upped its order from two containers last year to three and a half this year. The inspections took place as usual, and, so far, it looks as if there will be trees aplenty.
Lowe's began selling noble, Douglas and grand firs on Friday, and Cuellar (who is no relation to the outstanding Baltimore Orioles baseball pitcher) said sales began Friday and so far are doing well. "Last year, we almost sold through 100 percent," so the store "took a chance" by bringing in more trees this year, he said.
Kula Botanical Gardens grows its own and will begin selling Monterey pines from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Its sales lot will be open through Sunday, and again Dec. 12 and 13, and after that whatever trees are left will be offered at the garden's gift shop.
"It's fun," McCord said. "It smells good. It feels like Christmas. It's a family time. We have candy canes, and the young kids work for tips" carrying trees to the cars.
Most of that is missing when people get their trees through presales, which are done by civic clubs, charities and school groups.
For example, for the second year, the Paia School Parent Teachers Association had a presale, which is already done. The trees will be unloaded for pickup Friday.
The first year was a success, said Brian Garraway, who helped organize it, and so was the second.
The tree business can be risky, said Garraway, although with his contacts it wasn't for the PTA. McCord agrees. She recalls one year when Star Market opened what was expected to be a refrigerated container of trees. The refrigeration unit had died, and so had all the trees.
Garraway said he has been on the board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters for about 15 years, and for the last seven years, he has helped the nonprofit organize a Christmas tree lot at the Piilani Village Shopping Center. That tree lot continues in operation, but when his daughter began attending Paia School, Garraway had the idea of "piggybacking" on the nonprofit's event with another fundraiser.
The PTA preorders are tacked onto the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters order, which goes through Friendly Christmas Trees, which grows its own in Oregon. By dealing direct, Garraway said, the Mauians can specify just what they want and when they want it cut.
Without the contacts built up with the Oregon grower and the savings on combined shipping, such a deal might be beyond the resources of the typical school group, although at least two Rotary clubs brought in trees this year.
Even the big-box stores have sometimes been burned on Christmas trees, with the businesses ending up with unsold trees on Christmas Eve, Garraway said.
"They learned not to bring in so many trees," he said.
Avoiding the problems of importation might seem the way to go, and over the years a number of businesses have set out to grow Christmas trees on Maui. "They didn't realize how hard it is," McCord said.
Scraggly lots of untended trees at spots around Kula (including a big lot near the telephone exchange) testify to busted hopes.
Trees will, unfortunately, grow unbidden, and the Friends of Haleakala National Park will lead an expedition to chop down unwanted pines on Dec. 12.
The trees available may or may not be just the thing for the living room, but at least volunteers can carry away greenery for decorating, and a warm feeling of having done some good.
The Friends will work at Puu Nuaniau (actually on Haleakala Ranch but adjacent to the park) from 9 a.m. to noon to remove invasive trees. Details, including directions about what to bring and where to meet, are available online at www.fhnp.org/service.html.
For the past three years, Joe Imhoff's Permaculture Group has been promoting native, living trees as a substitute for the usual sorts of Christmas trees.
He has three species available: ohia, hao and kului.
Kului, an endangered dryland species, is not for outplanting. Native plant conservationists are concerned about mixing up the germ lines of varieties of native plants that have evolved on different islands, or different parts of the same island. The trees are tagged to warn buyers not to plant them anywhere except in their yards.
"I deliver," said Imhoff. Trees can be ordered by calling him at 250-1469 or by sending e-mail to proudtobuylocal @gmail.com.
* Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com.
