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Get a whiff of Christmas

Trees being sold

Home Depot workers Asia Rosario (right) and Zoey Yoruwu wrap a Christmas tree purchased Wednesday afternoon in orange netting. Home Depot will be bringing in 3,500 Christmas trees this holiday season. The Maui News / CHRIS SUGIDONO photos

Christmas trees have arrived on Maui.

Walmart in Kahului reported selling Douglas firs on Friday. Shipper Matson said the first four containers of trees arrived Nov. 19.

Four more containers arrived this week with five more set to land on island next week, said Matson spokesman Keoni Wagner on Tuesday. A total of 15 containers are scheduled to pass through Kahului Harbor this holiday season, about ìaverage for Maui, he said.

A check of the usual suspects for Christmas tree retail sales Tuesday and Wednesday showed that all were selling trees –before Thanksgiving and the ìBlack Fridayî mass shopping day.

Several retailers said that they were bringing in more trees than last year; though one reported having fewer trees due to fires in California and Washington, which meant higher prices as well.

Home Depot worker Asia Rosario saws the trunk of a Christmas tree purchased Wednesday afternoon.

There will be more than 6,500 Christmas trees in total available at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco, with Walmart not disclosing the number of trees it will be bringing in this season.

Two popular local Christmas tree growers — Kula Botanical Garden and Kelly’s Farm, both in Kula — are gearing up for the holiday season and have planned sales/reservation days next week.

Home Depot began selling trees on Monday afternoon in tents set up in its parking lot, said Dana Roy and Jeannie Worley in the Garden Department on Tuesday. There were 500 trees on hand Tuesday with a total of 3,500 trees expected to arrive for the season. They said that the number of trees was down about 1,000 from last year due to fires in California and Washington.

The store in Kahului was selling noble, Douglas and Nordmann firs between 3 and 9 feet tall, they said. Prices range from $31.97 to $198.

At nearby Lowe’s, a container of trees arrived Tuesday, and sales were set to begin Wednesday, said Store Manager Tyson Sacks on Tuesday. The store will be selling about 2,000 trees in total, pulling them out from refrigerated containers as needed. An area has been set up outside the Garden Center for tree sales.

Noble, Douglas and Nordmann fir trees, between 3 and 9 feet tall, are on sale at the Home Depot.

ìWe sold out last year, he said. ìBrought in more to better help the community.

Douglas, Fraser, Nordmann, grand and noble firs from 2 to 12 feet are available with the bulk in the 6- to 8-foot range, Sacks said. Prices range from $29.98 for 2-footers to $160 for 10-footers.

Costco got its Christmas tree container in Wednesday and began sales the same day. Some 15 to 20 trees had been sold by 3:30 p.m., said Tony Facemire, general manager, on Wednesday.

The store near the airport is bringing in 1,000 7- to 8-foot Douglas firs, selling them for $49.99 to members, he said. The number of trees brought in has gone up a little annually since Costco resumed sales two years ago.

Costco sold trees many years ago but stopped when the endeavor proved unsuccessful. Since restarting tree sales, ìit’s been appreciated by our members,î Facemire said.

Walmart is selling 6- to 7-foot Douglas firs for $50 and noble firs from 3 to 9 feet for $40 to $102, said Walmart spokeswoman Tiffany Wilson on Tuesday. When asked about the numbers of trees, she said that the company does not provide specific product amounts in stock or on order ìfor competitive reasons.

Meanwhile, two popular local tree growers were getting into the Christmas spirit.

Kula Botanical, which already has sent some trees to Whole Foods in the Maui Mall, is planning its sale days for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2, 8 and 9, said Kathy Holmes, manager of the gift shop.

The Monterey pines, which are ìfat, fragrant and fluffy,î are between 3- and 9-feet tall and range in price from $39 to $130, she said Wednesday. Payments are by cash or local check.

Sales have been brisk in recent years with Kula Botanical dipping into the next year’s crop, she said. By the second weekend of sales, Holmes was not sure about availability. For more information, call 878-1715.

Kula Botanical, which was founded by Warren and Helen McCord in 1968, is located at 638 Kekaulike Ave.

There aren’t too many Norfolk pines for sale at Kelly’s Farm in Kula this year. Only 15 trees are available, and they are between 5 and 15 feet, said farm owner Kelly Bass on Tuesday.

ìSold so many trees last year,î Bass said. ìPeople kind of wiped me out.

The 40 trees sold last year was the ìmost everî in her 15 years of selling Christmas trees, she said. The trees have been slow to grow back, and she has had to do some replanting.

ìI have really little ones,î Bass said. ìWill have plenty next year.

Actually, the one 15-foot tree is spoken for with a customer already sending in a check, she said. Bass officially will begin selling trees — by appointment only — on Dec. 1. Her phone number is 280-9435.

She sells the trees for $10 a foot, a price that has not changed in 15 years. The farm is located at 742 Holopuni Road in the Kula Glen subdivision.

This is the ìfewest I’ve ever had,î she said.

The Maui County Boy Scouts are selling Norfolk pines as well, with buyers able to cut down their own trees at Camp Maluhia near Kahakuloa. The cutting has to be with a handsaw; no power saws.

Sales are set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 8. The suggested donation is $5 per foot with cash or check accepted.

For more information, call 244-3724, ext. 1.

* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.

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