Pandemic Can't Stop 54th Chatham Jaycees Christmas Tree Sale

CHATHAM, NJ — The Jaycees’ annual Christmas tree sale benefits organizations within the Chathams and almost didn’t happen this year.

During the Board of Education meeting on Monday night, Bill Heap of the Jaycees - who stressed how the tree sale helps to fundraise for scholarships - retold the story about how the trees have made their way to Chatham from Virginia.

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“This is a Christmas Tree sale that almost didn’t happen,” Heap said of the 54th annual event. “The Christmas Tree market is as tight as a drum.”

Heap said he started “calling around for Christmas Trees over the summer months,” but even if he had started making calls in January 2021, he said he was already too late at that point.

“Those who bothered to answer the phone laughed at me,” Heap told the board and audience at this past Monday's meeting.

Until the third week of October, Heap said, he had no trees procured for the annual sale, but then “serendipity took over,” when the Chatham Township Fire Department came to the rescue.

After having sold a firetruck to a department in “deep southwest Virginia,” Heap said that town's fire chief had a source for Christmas Trees. Chatham Township, Heap says, procures their Christmas Trees from Pennsylvania, with the township fire department passing Heap the number to their contact in Virginia. After connecting with the group, Heap said he drove eight hours to Virginia to see the trees and farm in person.

At the Virginia tree farm, the manager told Heap they annually cut 700,000 trees, which Heap told the Board, equates to about seven million Christmas Trees under growth over a 10-year cycle.

The Jaycees now have their tree supply and will begin selling them in person on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, with sales also online and payments available by Venmo.

In addition to scholarships, Heap said the Jaycees' tree sale benefits the fire departments, first aid squad, Key Club and other groups.

How to buy a Chatham Jaycees’ Christmas Tree this year:

Head to the corner of Main Street and Brooklake Road from Nov. 26 for in-person sales, going on until trees are sold out. On Nov. 26, the sale runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. After Nov. 26, sale hours are 5 to 9 p.m. weekdays and weekends, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To order trees in advance for delivery, see full details about the trees, including pricing and sizing here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/18bSS0abdc4pKt04Pa2rrujXjQswAQ0Qbe2z4SHhBkAk/edit.

There are Fraser and Balsam Fir trees between six and nine feet tall available, as well as wreaths and garlands for sale, while they last. All Christmas Trees will have a hole drilled into the bottom of their trunks.

Deliveries choices are between Nov. 26 and Dec. 23, with drop-off during a two-hour window each day, on weekdays, 5 to 9 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Email jayceestreesale@gmail.com to order, with size range, delivery time and Venmo account username being used for payment and address.

To send a payment by Venmo:
Make payment to @Chatham-Jaycees-Tree-Sale
In comments: “First and Last Name”

Watch Heap retell the Jaycees’ Christmas Tree story below:

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.