Slow Down During This Busy & Magical Season
Growing up we had up to 11 fresh Christmas trees in our home, all decorated with different themes! The “Big” tree which was at least 12-feet tall and 12-feet wide was the family tree with colored lights, hand crafted ornaments and collectibles. It had colored lights and tinsel. There is a permanent hole in the ceiling that has been patched many times because the tree was always just a little too tall. We used to lay under the tree and look up at the lights and the ornaments. Those were the magical days, when we were young and didn’t have a care in the world. How life changes.
Other trees in the house had their own themes; the tree in the bathroom was decorated with printed toilet paper, the kitchen tree had red chili pepper shaped lights and fruit and vegetable ornaments. One of my brother’s trees was in all shades of blue. My parents’ tree was usually a long needle tree like a Norway Pine with old fashion bubble lights and ornaments made by my Mom. My tree had many different themes, but it was always a White Pine, which has long soft needles that to me smell wonderful!
I am sure you are thinking why or how my family had 11 Christmas trees decorated in our home when you might struggle to get just one tree up! Well me too. I can barely get one tree up in my home.
My family got into this business through tragedy and chance. I was about three-and-a-half years-old and my younger brother Tom passed away when he was 14 months-old. He was sick less than 24-hours. This was in the end of October, so when the holiday season rolled around, my Grandpa Schumacher thought that my parents needed a distraction through the holidays. My mom grew up in Door County, WI and my Grandpa owned land with an abundance of Spruce trees. He cut them and brought them to Springfield, MN where my parents had a small tree lot. They sold every single tree!
A few weeks later, they started getting calls that all the needles were falling off the trees. After some research my parents, discovered that Spruce trees are not meant to be trees in the house because they only last a couple weeks. They told every single person that they would replace the tree for them next year at no charge. Eventually, my parents owned Christmas trees near St. Cloud, MN, and in the Wautoma and Coloma, WI area. They had a custom shearing crew (which is some of the most miserable manual labor possible) consisting of young guys that traveled to the Midwest with my Dad to custom shape the trees into their traditional Christmas tree shape.
I learned to shear as well in the middle of summer. There were countless beehives and wasp nests, and I walked around endless trees everyday swinging large, very sharp knives or a machine that resembles a weed whip! At their largest point, my parents distributed more than 20,000 Christmas trees in the upper Midwest. They also hand produced 30,000 wreaths and 200,000 feet of fresh evergreen garland. The very garland that will hang across our streets in downtown New Ulm for the last time this year.
As life changes, family business is often forced to change. Thirteen years ago, my dad was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease as some know it, for which there is no cure. ALS doesn’t affect your mind, but it is physically debilitating. He was in a wheelchair for the last 3 or so years of his life. I think having the tree business helped prolong his life because it gave him something to get out of bed for. Every day, without pity or complaining, my dad had someone put his boots on and help him dress him so he could go out and work. This picture sums him up, that goofy side grin and the love of life and Christmas trees.
My love of Christmas trees runs deep! I encourage you to start a tradition with your family, and stay home snuggled up on the couch as much as you can. Lay under the tree with your kids and look up at the beauty of life and God’s creation.
Slow down and take some time to appreciate this busy, magical season…
Your Friend,
Heather