Community Corner

Thanksgiving Is Over, The Christmas Tree Lots Are Open

Toby's Christmas Trees was one of several lots that opened for business on Friday

Toss out that turkey. It's time to get a Christmas tree.

That was feeling for some folks the day after Thanksgiving as they headed to one of several tree lots that opened up on Friday.

One of the mainstays in Walnut Creek is Toby's Christmas Trees.

For the past 14 years, the tree lot has been located in the parking lot next to the baseball fields in the front section of Heather Farm Park.

Peter Murray, the owner, has been selling holiday trees for 40 years now. Before the Heather Farm location, his tree lot was set up at Civic Drive and Ygnacio Valley Road. It was in a couple other locations before that.

Murray works full-time as an electrician. He said he got into the seasonal tree business four decades ago when a friend suggested it after a slow year in the electrical business.

"He said why don't you give Christmas trees a try, so we did," he said.

Murray said the first couple years was tough.

"It was a chore in the beginning until we figured it out," he said.

Now, the Pinole resident has two annual lots -- one in Walnut Creek and one in San Pablo.

He expects to sell between 1,700 and 2,000 trees this season. All his trees come from small farms in Oregon. Murray has an agreement with them that he can buy more trees if he has a blockbuster year and sells out. The biggest problem would be finding a trucker to transport them.

The trees run the gamut from four footers to some that top 15 feet and cost upward of $300.

Murray employs dozens of local teens to work on his Walnut Creek lot.

Many of his customers are regulars. He's even got some third generation buyers whose grandparents purchased trees from him decades ago.

The Valentine family has been buying trees from Toby's for almost 20 years. Christian Valentine said the lot is close to their home and he likes the selection of trees.

They don't always buy their tree the day after Thanksgiving, but this year his daughter, Alison, is heading back to Stanford University in a few days so they bought the tree early this season.

Murray said families like the Valentines and being surrounded by Christmas cheer is the reason he keeps selling the trees.




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