Giving the Gift of a Tree Through 'Trees for Troops'

A lot of focus is paid to the gifts under the tree this time of year, but what if there isn't a tree at all?

For some military families, that is exactly the situation in which they find themselves at Christmas. , along with about 40 other retail establishments around the country, participates in Trees for Troops in an effort to provide trees for those families.

"A lot of people are glad we do it," said Mahoney's spokesman Gary Merrill. "It kind of goes with the holidays. I feel good about selling them [donated trees] to people."

Trees for Troops works with FedEx to deliver the donated trees to military families around the world. When a customer comes into Mahoney's, they pay $24.50 to purchase a Trees for Troops tree. They don't actually pick out the tree themselves, but they do receive a card on which they can leave a special message or word of gratitude for the family who will receive the gifted tree.

"Troops need to be thought of," Merrill said. "People need to be reminded that there are people who aren't going to be home for the holidays this year."

Merrill said the Mahoney's location in Wayland expects to give 100-150 trees this year as part of the program. The program kicked off on Nov. 11 and will end Dec. 4. Already multiple trees have been purchased.

For some people who participate, Merrill said they have a son or daughter in the military and feel a special connection in that sense. For other people, it's an impulse buy.

"Some people come in to buy their own tree and they don't even know about it [Trees for Troops]," Merrill said. "It's a wide variety of people who do it."

The program continues through Dec. 4.

Editor's Note: The final date to purchase a tree has been corrected from its original date.