My first stop was at the the Piilani Village Shopping Centre in Kihei. Here before my eyes was a venue selling live Christmas trees set amidst palm trees below blue sunny skies. Can there really be Christmas tree farms on this tropical island I thought to myself? I decided to go and talk to the lads who were selling the trees.
The trees are grown on their farm in Oregon and they harvest from 50,000 to 70,000 trees per year mainly to be sold wholesale on the mainland. Some are shipped to Maui as a sideline enterprise, and offers them a tropical vacation as a bonus. I asked about their re-planting stategy and Anthony told me that for every tree cut down, 3 more are planted. Friendly Xmas Trees sell three different varieties of Fir trees, namely Douglas, Noble and Grand, which is a hybrid cross of Noble and Douglas and the most fragrant of all . The trees range in price from $20 and up, so there is a tree for every lifestyle, every budget and every home.
A heartwarming feature of this company is that a percentage of all sales goes to the Boys and Girls Club, so if you want to support a good cause and experience a real live Christmas tree, it is not to late to find them at the Piilani Village Mall on Pikea street, Kihei.
I did find out that Maui has a couple of Christmas tree farms of their own, both located upcountry in Kula. If you prefer pine trees to fir and want to support a Maui business, The Kula Botanical Garden has been selling home grown Monterey pine trees since 1974.
Stay tuned for more signs of Christmas on Maui.
If you are not here yet and need a vacation home for your winter getaway go to Ideal Vacation Rentals- Maui.
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