The little tree that could.

Hope is in the air again.

For the first time since Sam and I purchased the Christmas tree farm 20 years ago, we sold a tree before Thanksgiving! While we have customers who always come and tag a tree in November, no one ever took one home
to decorate before Thanksgiving!! And that weekend, Sam sold two more.

The Christmas spirit is thriving once again. And people are excited about the future.

I know I am.

Hope and faith are very much alive and thriving in our little tree farm, in the form of a simple Fraser fir tree. Yes, a little tree. So, what's the big deal? It's a Christmas tree farm, and that's a tree. Hardly worth getting excited about, right? Well, Fraser firs do not thrive at this elevation or in our climate. They require a rain forest climate to grow and aren't well suited for dry climates with low humidity.

The Christmas trees we grow are a white fir species called concolor fir, so named for the variety of colors the tree comes in as it matures. This species is native to the southwest, is drought tolerate, and well suited for the Lewis-Clark valley climate.

For the first few years, we only ordered and grew concolor firs, but people kept asking us if we had any grand firs, or fraser firs, as these are the species most well-known and what you will find at any tree lot. So in 2015, we ordered a small batch of grand fir, fraser fir, and noble fir seedlings as an experiment, 10-20 of each species. We planted some here, and I took a half dozen up to our cabin (elevation 3,800') to see if they would grow up there. To my disappointment, none of the seedlings survived...except this one single fraser fir here in Lewiston. I thought maybe the ones planted at the cabin would make it, but the summer proved too hot and dry; by fall only a twig and slip of marker tape was all that remained. And so, I turned to this one simple tree and silently asked it to stay and grow. Then I stood back, checking on it occasionally, always wondering how much longer it would stay.

The lone Fraser fir, December 2016.

It became my little tree that could. A testament of my faith when all seemed lost...and hopeless. Yet, in that simple tree, I found a miracle. I know it seems silly, but I love little things like this; I tend to believe in the impossible.

Sam standing next to the lone Fraser fir, December 2019.

Christmas can be a time for hope, faith, wonder and maybe a bit of magic. I hope as you read this, you find the faith you need, and it fills your heart with joy in the simple things we may overlook.

The lone Fraser fir today, December 14, 2024.

All grown and thriving at over 7 feet, December 14, 2024.

#fraserfir #treefarm #FaithJourney #keephopealive #christmastreefarm