Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

750 Christmas trees donated to Nellis families

Trees for Troops’ program brings holiday greenery to local military families

Trees for Troops

Justin M. Bowen

The “Trees for Troops” program, sponsored by FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, delivered 750 trees Friday to Nellis Air Force Base.

Trees for Troops

In the third year of the "Trees for Troops" program Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx delivered 750 Christmas trees to Nellis Air Force Base northeast of Las Vegas.

Click to enlarge photo

The "Trees for Troops" program, sponsored by FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, delivered 750 trees Friday to Nellis Air Force Base.

Click to enlarge photo

The "Trees for Troops" program, sponsored by FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, delivered 750 trees Friday to Nellis Air Force Base.

Beyond the Sun

It didn't come in Santa's bag. And it wasn't wrapped in a bow. But it was a gift that will spark the yuletide spirit at the home of Air Force Cpl. Patrick and Madelene Anderson — a free Christmas tree.

The Andersons, an area military family, were among those who took part Friday morning in the third year of the "Trees for Troops" program sponsored by the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx at Nellis Air Force Base northeast of Las Vegas.

First-timer Madelene Anderson, whose husband is an E4 Specialist, decided she could save a lot of money by going through the base.

“We were going to buy a tree and my friend who works here on base was telling me ‘Why don’t you come down and get a tree,’” she said. “And with finances and stuff this time of year, every little bit helps.”

The Trees for Troops program provided 16,000 free Christmas trees from 29 states to military bases across the country. About 750 of those trees made their way to Nellis, with 30 of those trees sent to Creech Air Force base.

“Last year, we had 1,000 and this year we have 750 and I think that is because they had an opportunity to go to smaller installations this year, so they spread the joy out a little bit,” said Cate Berry, Nellis' marketing director.

Families had been lining up since 9 that morning to pick out a tree and Berry said she loved to see the kids as they try to describe how big they want it, when they’re only 2-feet-tall themselves. Besides enjoying the delighted looks on family members' faces, Berry said each year she finds a new reason to continue the event.

“Last year, at 6 p.m. at the end of (the event), a young man in the Army who was moving his family to California showed up and we only had a few trees left and he asked if he could have a tree because he didn’t know how he would provide Christmas for his family,” she said. “He had the car all packed up and they were ready to leave and I thought ‘Wow, after being here for 12 hours, that is why I do this every year.’”

Each tree had a tag attached with a personal message from the grower, sharing their appreciation for the military’s service. For the kids, FedEx also donated 200 small plush reindeer, which dressed in tiny red FedEx T-shirts. There were also more than 1,000 hand-made Christmas cards and tree ornaments from elementary school students and cookies from Le Cordon Bleu.

Berry said the trees were going quickly and that she expected them to be gone before 6 p.m.

After the holiday season, Nellis will recycle the trees for families at the Recycling Center, building 461.

The economy is one of the main reasons that several families stopped by to pick out a tree — and because it's a fun outing for the children.

Tech Sgt. Marlene Ross said the big draw last year was the hot cocoa and teddy bears for the kids, so she decided to bring her daughter, Nakaya, again this year.

“We would’ve been purchasing a tree, so this is saving us a lot of money,” Ross said. “Our first tree was about $60, plus the ones here are not as humongous. And it's still a nice tree.”

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