MILLIE AND MARY’S BIG CITY ADVENTURE-

FIRST TIME CHRISTMAS TREE VENDORS ON HUDSON STREET

By Brian J Pape, AIA

You may not have heard about the massive teachers’ strike in Canada, but it has brought two intrepid young French-Canadian women to our shores for the holidays.

After bonding their friendship on a summer vacation hitch-hiking across Canada, Millie and Mary (not their real names) found that the teachers strike put them out of work,  so they signed up to be Christmas tree vendors in Manhattan. Assigned to the stretch of Hudson Street between Christopher and West Tenth Streets, perhaps because the employer felt it might be a little safer for the 24-hour operators, Millie and Mary are excited about their new adventure.

They heard about this seasonal work from Canadian fishermen during their summer sojourns, and they look at this experience as a betterment of their lives and teaching roles.

With just the two of them guarding the inventory, trees from 2’ high to 11’ high, decorations and stands, and even their own hand-made reindeer, that means long, 16-hour shifts in the cold (and occasional rain or snow). They have a little shed and a van to protect them a little from the elements, but it’s still a challenge. These women are brave and tough, but their spirits are high to meet the challenge.

They learned almost immediately upon setting up their tree stand that two other women, Jody and Ellen, had operated the Christmas tree stand at this spot for the previous 20 years. With their own camper truck, and reportedly a nomadic lifestyle, those two are now operating a stand in Brooklyn for this season.

Come Christmas eve, Millie and Mary will break down the stand, clean up the site, and head back to Quebec, but not before spending a few days taking in the sights of the city, that they were too busy to see while the season for tree sales was upon them.

We wish them luck (working on commission only), and safety from the late-night hazards of the city, even our beloved West Village.