Most of those last minute shoppers will have to wrap their gifts quickly and place them under their already decorated Christmas tree tonight. But for some, picking up a Christmas tree and decorating it is also happening at the last minute
With just hours left before Christmas, it appeared a 6 foot tall Noble Fir was more likely to end up in the dump than in someone’s family room, but then a deserving family came along.
For the last 34 years, Si Simonis has been Operating a Christmas tree lot in Redding.
“It’s a tradition ingrained in the collective psyche of the American populous. Right? And so it is an interesting / insane business,” said Simonis.
He has seen the preference in trees change from year to year and has gotten pretty good at judging the amount of tree's that will sell, which is why he only had one left Monday morning.
“You know, if they get thrown around, some of them get moved, for whatever reason it was one of the last ones you know,” said Simonis.
A lone Noble Fir, bushy, with nice branches, a beautiful color and intoxicating pine scent. It’s hard to imagine why it had gone un-discovered.
“He said 'i've got one tree left, you’re lucky,'” said David Glenos, talking of his conversation with Simonis.
Glenos and his wife couldn't be more deserving of some holiday cheer, they recently moved back to Redding, trying to escape gang violence that plagued their neighborhood in Merced County.
They finally found a home on Friday, but finding a Christmas tree was more difficult.
“I could not find one anywhere, I went out with my three sons, we were looking and they were disappointed of course,” said Glenos, adding that it took an act of God to find a tree on Christmas Eve.
“And we prayed on it and the good lord this morning found us one,” said Glenos.
Lot owner Si Simonis helped out, giving the deserving family his last tree free of charge.
“Just because it is something good to do, gives you that warm fuzzy feeling you know,” said Simonis.
