Christmas Tree Program
Attention Scouts and Parents!
View the tree lot schedule and who’s signed up here. Check back soon for Tree Lot signup information.
Real Christmas Trees: Some Piedmont BSA Traditions Just Don’t Fade Away
For nearly forty years Piedmont Scouts have sold trees at Christmas time to support the program. Net Sales of trees currently provide approximately 30% of our operating income annually.
Celebrating the Holiday Season with a Real Christmas Tree is a long-standing Piedmont tradition. In fact, 25 to 30 million American families celebrate the holiday season with a fresh, farm-grown Christmas Tree. Christmas Tree enthusiasts believe the aroma of a Real Christmas Tree is a strong reminder of life, family traditions and the innocence of childhood itself.
The Legends and History of Christmas Trees
The use of evergreens as a symbol and celebration of life during the Winter Solstice celebrations started in ancient Rome and Egyptian times. This practice evolved over the centuries to be incorporated in the celebration of Christmas in the Germanic area of Europe.
The first recorded display of a decorated Christmas Tree was in 1510, in Riga, Latvia. These early trees were decorated with fruit, cookies and candy that would later be shared among family members as gifts after the Holiday Season was over. By the 1700’s, the tradition of celebrating the holidays with a Christmas Tree was widely used throughout Europe. Decorations included lace, ribbon, tin, food items and lit candles. Hessian mercenaries brought the tradition to the United States during the Revolutionary War.
In 1804, U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Dearborn, in Chicago, used evergreen trees in their barracks for Christmas. The popularity of Christmas Trees then proliferated when in 1856, Franklin Pierce, our 14th President, brought the Christmas Tree tradition to the White House.
Since 1966, members of the National Christmas Tree Association have presented a beautiful, fresh Real Christmas Tree to the President and First Family. This tree is displayed each year in the Blue Room of the White House...no doubt filling the room with the aroma of life, family traditions and childhood innocence shared by so many others during the holidays.
The Piedmont Tree Lot Tradition Begins
Around 1966, Troop #6 Piedmont Boy Scouts of America, started a small Christmas Tree lot. The early success of that concept was embraced by the Piedmont Council and the operation was expanded to meet the Christmas Tree needs of the Piedmont, Montclair and Crocker Highlands families.
2007 Piedmont Tree Lot
The Tree Lot will open for business on Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 890 Moraga Ave at Coaches Playing Field in Piedmont (view map). The Piedmont Council is pleased that we will again be offering perhaps the freshest and healthiest Christmas Trees available. We will have available Noble Firs, Douglas Firs and Silvertips.
As in past years, Cub and Boy Scouts will be on duty to assist our many loyal supporters with the selection of their trees. A variety of services will also be available, including tree stands, netting, delivery, and for our business owners fire retarding will be available.
Growing the Tradition
This website will be updated as we approach the upcoming season with confirmation of the hours of operation, the size and type of trees, and other useful information.
Join us in growing our treasured tradition—and supporting the Scouting movement.