It's no surprise, like everything else, the cost of a Christmas tree is up this year.
To lighten the load for parents, a Wakefield woman with the help from her surrounding community, is doing her part.
Wendi Knowles has lived in Wakefield all her life. She's a huge fan of Christmas.
“I think I’m a displaced elf. I just love it. I want other people to enjoy it," she said. "Christmas trees are magical. You can decorate them anyway you want, you can put lights, you can put up homemade decorations. I think it has a really big standing in the house."
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Since a Christmas tree is a big deal for her, last year she said she had to take action after reading a sad post on social media.
"The whole thing started because a family said they didn’t think Santa would come because they didn’t have a tree so we got them one," said Knowles. "Then I put out a challenge on Facebook asking others to donate a tree, I collected some donations and we did 55 trees last year."
This year, Knowles wanted to do it again but on a larger scale.
“I think there’s a really big need this year," she said. "We want to help people that are financially struggling. We don’t ask any paperwork or anything. People know if they are or they’re not, so we just let them come and take a tree."
On the side of Knowles' home, stand more than a dozen Christmas trees free for the taking.
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Her family bought the first five and then donations started coming in.
“We got 19 the first day and by Sunday we gave away all but 6," said Knowles. "People have jumped on the bandwagon to help. It's awesome. We’ve had two $200, quite a few $100 donations, a lot of people will donate the price of the tree which I had guesstimated $45, some people donate $20 it all adds up in the end. I take all the money and I just go and buy as many trees as we can."
Knowles said Highland Farms has been very generous as well when it comes to the price she pays per tree.
If people aren't able to come pick out their own tree, or transport it, her husband will deliver it.
“My husband comes out with his chainsaw. He'll chop them down to size whatever they need them to be too," she said.
Not only is her yard a makeshift Christmas tree farm, its also a one-stop-Christmas shop for everything else.
“People have just been dropping things off," she said. "I came out the other day and it was like a Santa Claus movie. There was just like three totes packed with stuff. Just anything anyone needs. We have tree stands, we have decorations, we have lights, we have the trees, we have ornaments."
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Knowles said everyone is very thankful and happy when they leave her home.
“I also feel really good I feel like I’m helping my community," she said. “My husband, he always says if we can give them this tree that’s $50 or $70, they can put that money towards maybe a gift for their child or a couple gifts for their children so that there’s something to put under the tree versus having the tree. It lightens the load for them financially so they can put stuff under it instead of worrying about buying it."
Knowles said if someone is in need of a Christmas tree they can send her a message on her Facebook page.