Christmas is back in town, and so is Santa & Sons. Since 2001 the family-owned company has rented space from Valley College and placed its Christmas tree lot in parking lot G. The lot supports Valley’s education fund, and Santa & Sons is also a supporter of the college athletic fund.
“We do well here,” said owner Mark Rohlfs. “It’s a great place for our Christmas tree lot, and we’re glad we can be here again.”
The lot, located on the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon, has dozens of Douglas, Nordmann, Grand, and Noble Firs, from small 2-foot trees to commercial 20-foot trees. All the trees are grown in the company’s Oregon Christmas tree farm, which practices environment sustainability and responsible water shed management. They are one of four family farms certified environmentally friendly by the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers.
Unlike artificial Christmas trees that many people opt to, which are plastic and brought from China, tree farms are good stewards of the earth, according to the Santa & Sons Web site. The trees grow and preserve soils, help against erosion, and sustain diverse wildlife.
“We don’t need another fake thing in our lives,” said Rohlfs.
The lot also sells pine and Noble Fir wreaths and cedar garlands. This year they have a thrifty tree section in which prices are $39.99 or less. But what people come for is the Christmas spirit.
“We’ve created memories for kids. I’ve got to watch them grow up in lapse photography,” Rohlfs explained. “I’m 55 years old, and I remember exactly where I bought a Christmas tree. Families like coming out here because it’s a joyous spirit,” something, he says, you can’t get at Home Depot.
Kay Jimenez from Sun Valley has been seasonally working for Santa & Sons after a friend told her about the job 13 years ago, before the company had a lot at Valley College.
“I love the smell of the trees,” she said. “I get to carry them!”
Aside from employing people at the lots, Christmas tree companies need a large employee force for its labor-intensive farms, which require hand-pruning of the trees. The Oregeon Christmas tree farm itself runs 10 months out of the year, caring for its 150,000 trees. January and June are the months with the least work.
Santa & Sons is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Thanksgiving until Christmas. They take telephone orders and also deliver trees to homes and businesses.







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