Kamloops Christmas Tree Farm open for the season

Nov 26, 2018 | 4:07 PM

KAMLOOPS — With the Santa Claus Parade officially kicking off the Kamloops Christmas Season Saturday, the citizens of our fair city were looking for other ways to deck their halls, which made for a busy Sunday at the Woodward’s Christmas Tree Farm out in Westsyde.

Many Kamloops residents got a jump on holiday decorating Sunday, as Woodward’s Christmas Tree Farm opened to the public for the season.

“We didn’t expect it to really get busy until December 1st,” John Woodward, owner of the Tree Farm told CFJC Today. “People are coming out earlier.”

For locals who opt for natural trees, the annual pilgrimage to the farm has become a tradition. For one makeshift family of TRU international students picking, then cutting your own tree is a novelty.

“We have Christmas tree, but they’re usually fake, or plastic,” Trevez Pratt, who’s from the Bahamas, told CFJC Today.

Trevez, Mamta, Amritesh, and Manisha were recruited by their landlady Lynette Groff to find a very specific tree.

“A Blue Spruce,” Pratt said. “I don’t know what that is, but I’m looking for it.”

“The Blue Spruce is a tightly grown tree,” Woodward explained. “A bit prickly, but it’s a beauty. People like it because it’s shaped nice and it’s a beautiful tree.”

And after some searching, some debate, even more searching and finally some hard sawing, the group claimed their trophy.

“The reason it had to be a Blue Spruce was it couldn’t be compact, as many of the Christmas trees are, because I have 40 years worth of Christmas Tree decorations,” Groff said.

If Amritesh, Mamta, Manisha and Trevez thought their hard work was done, Lynette had other plans for them.

“They get to decorate it while I get to sit back and watch.”