Where To Get Your Christmas Trees In Park Slope: A Roundup

It's coming on Christmas... 

We went shopping for the tree yesterday morning. Having grown up with the bizarre tradition of not getting the GD tree until the day before Christmas, I'm rebelling and getting ours early.

This year, we turned up our collective noses at the Food Coop and Farmer's Market in favor of the charitable Ye Olde First folks. I couldn't believe the size of some of those trees! They looked like they were destined for the White House or Rockefeller Center. They were HUGE. Like twenty feet tall huge, although I *am* prone to exaggeration. Anyway, the guy told us he'd just sold two of the huge ones to a woman a half hour before. TWO? Hmmmm.

It turns out there are a crapload of Christmas tree purveyors all over Park Slope, and obviously (cause we're all lazy around here), I'm not going to go investigate them all for you people. BUT, what I have done is to pick through the pine needles and come up with a few choice options, as well as some quick hit customer reviews:

8th Avenue at 8th Street. 10% will go to your local school’s PTA (because I know you all care).

Bought a big Douglass at 8th and 8th and had it delivered (free). They brought the tree in and without us even asking started to mount it in our stand. Sadly the tree trunk was way too big for our old stand but they had stands to sell on the truck and we just bought one of those (probably overpriced but saved us a trip). They set it up and went on their way. Very friendly, good service. It smells wonderful!

I second the reco for the guys on 8th & 8th. We bought a 6'6" fraser fur for $55. It's a beaut and the guy selling the trees is a character.

French-Canadians in front of CVS @ 9th Street. These dudes actually got an Observer article devoted to their hotness back in the day. Allegedly, you will be buying your tree from Colin Farrell and Jude Law circa 2005.

Old Stone House (5th Avene @ 3rd Street). The Boy Scouts from Troop 14 at the Old Stone House are having their annual tree sale.  Saturdays and Sundays now through December 19 from 11 am through 8 pm or so.  And they’ll deliver too for wussy types.

The Food Coop Vermonters. Of course. And they sell maple syrup too. Plus, their own blog spot.

The GAP Farmer's Market. 

I looked at the trees at the GAP market today and was disappointed. A 6 footer was about $100 and the ones I looked at were shedding like crazy already. 

French-Canadians in front of Key Food on 5th Ave. 

All I know is that the french-canadian woman by the key food on 5th ave. was really rude to my girlfriend when we went there for ours last year so we'll be going elsewhere this year.

Plus, Lowe's, PS 321 (who knew?) and 40 other places I don't have it in me to catalogue. Also, if you want to really go green with the tree this year, here's a tip from some goody-two-shoes on Brooklynian...

I simply cannot believe that you all aren't going green and using a fake tree that is recycled every year!! What kind of hipsters are you all anyway? 

Now, the little people are arguing about the meaning of Christmas, with the littler agitating for early opening and me threatening lumps of coal and so forth. The pasha is holding forth about the importance of being together as a family as he continues playing on his ipod touch. 

Carry on.