The scent of freshly cut Island-grown Douglas fir is a staple in many a home over the holidays.
Many of the olfactory memory-making trees in Oak Bay come courtesy of the Oak Bay Preschool’s annual fundraising tree sales.
“Families in the neighbourhood have been getting their Christmas trees from us for 20 or 30 years,” said Amanda Panthaki, treasurer.
“It’s one of our main fundraisers. There are people who bought trees from us when they were kids in our preschool and now they’re adults.”
They usually raise around $3,000 for the non-profit, parent-run, licensed co-op preschool.
Pick up day is Saturday, Dec. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at the St. Mary’s Church parking lot, 1701 Elgin Rd. where customers can also indulge in a bake sale offering goodies and apple cider. Profits from the bake sale will go to the Victoria Women’s Transition House.
“We ask a lot of the community anyways for our silent auction and the Christmas trees so we wanted to give back,” Panthaki said. “We don’t want to just take, we want to give back, and we want to foster that in our kids too.”
Trees are $40 and must be pre-ordered online at oakbaypreschool.com by Dec. 10.
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com