When Derek Peterson was a child, many holiday seasons were spent watching his dad work a Christmas tree lot and often donating trees to those in need. His father has since passed, and Derek Peterson and his wife Skylar Peterson are carrying on that tradition.
For the past 11 years, the Petersons, who also own Peterson Tree Care, have been running a Christmas tree lot that many might say is far more than that.
The lot started with just a few trees sold out of their backyard, and has now grown to a full-fledged operation complete with a live band, food trucks, hot chocolate, handmade ornaments and more, to create one of a kind holiday experience.
“It started out small, and then it just kind of built it up really big,” Derek said. “We were storing a bunch of trees at our neighbors’ house, and it just ended up growing so big that we needed to move to a larger place. We’ve tried to make it like a Hallmark movie with the fire, live band and food trucks. We have tried to make it more of an experience than just buying a tree from a local grocery store.”
Skylar said that she loves being a part of bringing the Christmas spirit to families, while also bringing the community together.
“It feels like a community,” she said. “I have neighbors whose kids come and help, and it just feels so much like family. … When I think of a Christmas tree, it’s so warm and inviting, because families and friends always gather around the Christmas tree. And then there’s the Christmas tree being a symbol of hope. They’re green through the whole year – even in the harshest winters.”
The trees that the Peterson’s bring to their lot have survived many harsh winters, as well as the unpredictability of Utah weather. Derek and Skylar said that it is this resilience that makes their trees top-of-the-line.
“Our trees are all cut from Utah mountains, and so they last longer than your standard box store trees because they are used to the fluctuation in temperature,” Skylar explained.
The trees also come from government-owned land where those sections of land will be cleared anyway to maintain the health of the mountain. In fact, according to the Bureau of Land Management, “The harvest of these resources not only provides memorable recreation opportunities but maintains the natural health of our forested lands.”
Derek said that about 75% of their trees come from BLM and government-owned land, whereas the rest are harvested with permission from private landowners. He said that over his years of owning the tree lot, he has noticed that both harvesting trees and purchasing real trees is becoming more rare, and he hopes to change that.
“It’s kind of a dying breed,” Derek said. “Everyone’s getting fake trees, and it’s just a lot of work to get a real one. I feel like it’s kind of dwindling away. There were a lot of Christmas tree lots that were here for three or four years at the parking lot, and now many aren’t there anymore. There’s a few that are still around but it’s kind of a dwindling thing.”
One of the ways that Peterson Trees is changing people’s view of Christmas tree lots, is through the use of social media. In fact, in 2020, a TikTok video on their @treemaninplaid account, that consisted of Derek and his crew dancing at their lot, garnered over 2 million views.
“During Covid, we were worried about doing trees,” Skylar said. “Derek insisted on remaining open, and we were worried that we would get shut down. My husband’s more brave than I am, and he’s a dreamer … My husband is also hilarious. He thought it would be funny to do a TikTok video. So he and some of our guys that work there, were just joking around. They were doing pole dances around the poles that hold the Christmas tree. The video went viral and we were on Fox News. We sold 1300 trees in 10 days that year.”
Approximately 1,500 trees have been sold at the Peterson’s lot the past few years, and they anticipate this year will be the same. But just like his dad did, trees that are left over, will be donated to families in need.
“We always donate more towards the end, we always tell people if they know a family who needs a tree to come get it or let us know who it is and we’ll drop it off,” Derek said. We donate a bunch. We also do the Giving Tree Christmas tree ornaments.”
The Petersons encourage those who purchase trees from them, to bring them back after the season, and the tree stumps are recycled in several ways, including mulch and donated to a local family who makes ornaments, through what they call, The Giving Tree. These ornaments are sold for the sole purpose of donating funds to those in need.
“It’s my favorite time of year because it brings everybody together,” Skylar said. “There is nothing like working together and bringing joy to other people’s lives. Yes, we’re retail and we’re selling stuff, but it really does feel like service. People come in and they’re so happy, and when you take time to make traditions like this with your family, I find that you carry that feeling with you through the whole year.”
To carry the spirit forward, Derek’s current father, Jerry Ferguson does Santa Clause on Family night for family to spread Christmas cheer.
Peterson Trees is located at 1066 N State Road 198 in Salem. Hours of operation are Monday -Thursday noon-8:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. until the middle of December. For more information, follow Peterson Trees on Instagram @petersontrees.
