The sun rose on the day after Thanksgiving to start the sale

The day after Thanksgiving only means one thing to me (and that wasn’t why I had Pesto Pasta on Thanksgiving), we are getting ready for the Christmas tree drop off and the start of the sale in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.

The set up for the sale

The week before many of the guys cleaned the site on the corner of Terrace and Jefferson Avenues and set the stands and the new ‘shed’ up for the start of the sale the next week. It amazing how fast the holiday season creeps up with us and then we are cleaning the lot again.

The organizing of the Christmas tree drop off

The truck turned the corner and parked by the lot at 7:30am with manhood the guys already there waiting to empty the truck.

The truck arrived at 7:30am

The guys preparing the truck for emptying out

Member Vinnie Decicco unloading trees

Around 8:00am we were joined by a group of high school students who made unloading so much quicker. With most of our members there, we were done unloading and organizing in about forty-five minutes.

Starting the line of members unloading

Unloading and unloading

And unloading

Video on the Unloading:

And unloading

Finishing the unloading

The finished unloading of the trees

The site open for business

The site open for business

Open for business

The members of the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association

About ten of us stayed through the first two shifts from 10:00am-2:00pm and from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. I stayed through the drop off, the three shifts, the parade and came back to finish the shift and close for the evening. It ended up being a thirteen hour day but we sold fifty-one trees and four stands, a new record.

We also added a float that helped with publicity.

The Men’s Association Float in the 2024 Hasbrouck Heights Holiday Parade

Selling into the late night

Our float in the parade that evening

Characters marching in the parade behind us

The first day of the sale after the Drop Off, I worked a triple shift and marched in the parade handing out candy canes, knowing that I would not be around for the next two weekends and I would be presenting back to back projects at work. So I worked a thirteen hour day plus the Drop Off and the Parade that night and then coming back and closing shop at 9:00pm. It was a long day!

On the night of December 13th, we gathered for our Annual Christmas Tree lot Party for the Men’s Association. I arrived at 9:00pm because I had so many papers to grade. The guys had to force me from my warm home to attend the party and I had a good time as I normally do.

Late night on the first night of the sale

Twenty-Five trees left the night of our Annual Tree Stand Party on December 13th, 2024

Us socializing at the December 13th Christmas Tree Lot Party. Twenty five trees left at this point

By Sunday night, December 15th, we were down to our last two trees. With not much stock left to sell, we put everyone on the honor system that they would pay for their trees by dropping the money off with our members. We think this is a fair system. After all, the money is for our Scholarship program.

The last two trees on the lot at 5:00pm

Not much left after that busy drop off just three weeks earlier

We put people on the honor system

All 427 trees sold out! Another great Christmas tree sale for the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association

Another great year and more scholarship money to give out next year.

On January 18th, 2025, it was time to close the lot down again after another successful selling season. About twenty of us got up at 8:00am and worked until 10:00am to put everything away and clean up the lot. We have to leave it better than when we got it.

Getting everything racked up

Packing up all the stands and equipment

Keeping it all organized for next year

The lot left better than when we found it

See you all on November 28th, 2025. We will be back!

Thank you everyone for another great sale!