CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTERS DECKING THEIR HALLS FOR HOLIDAY FRESH CUT FIRS, PINES SALE OF CHOICE FOR THESE SHOPPERS.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - While bargain-hunters stood in line outside the mall before dawn Friday Friday: see Sabbath; week. Friday young Indian rescued by Crusoe and kept as servant and companion. [Br. Lit.: Robinson Crusoe] See : Servant to get a head-start on holiday shopping, others spent the day after Thanksgiving Thanksgiving annual U.S. holiday celebrating harvest and yearly blessings; originated with Pilgrims (1621). [Am. Culture: EB, IX: 922] See : America Thanksgiving national holiday with luxurious dinner as chief ritual. [Am. Pop. seeking the perfect Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. . Dennis and Karin van Bremin of La Crescenta have been cutting their own Christmas trees ever since they were married 28 years ago. And every year they encounter the same problem - Karin chooses a tree that's too tall and Dennis provides a reality check. ``She thinks we live in a church or a bank lobby,'' van Bremin said, both of them laughing. The van Bremins were among the many families who wandered the farm under an unseasonable un·sea·son·a·ble adj. 1. Not suitable to or appropriate for the season. 2. Not characteristic of the time of year: unseasonable weather. 3. Poorly timed; inopportune. blazing sun and 70-degree temperatures. They were in search of the right tree to cut down as part of a yearly family tradition. Teachers by profession - Karin teaches the second-grade in Glendale and Dennis is a high-school counselor - the best time to look for a tree is the day after Thanksgiving when they both usually have the day off. Most opt to cut their own for the experience, said Nancy Roatcap, the owner of the farm on Magic Mountain Parkway, in business in Valencia for the past 11 years. Roatcap's farm is a virtual forest of trees with more than 2,200 ready-to-shear Monterey pines, and about 600 precut pre·cut adj. Cut into size or shape before being marketed, assembled, or used: precut fillet of fish; precut construction materials. tr.v. first - white, silver tip firs, grands, nobles, Douglas, red and Frazier. In a seven-year tradition, David and Ruth Stanke scoured scour 1 v. scoured, scour·ing, scours v.tr. 1. a. To clean, polish, or wash by scrubbing vigorously: scour a dirty oven. b. the farm for just the right tree - full with no holes - with kids Zac, 4, Benjamin, 3, and Brooke, 1 1/2 in tow. ``It's more fun cutting a tree with the kids, and on the first day you get a better selection and they're fresher,'' Stanke said after the family proudly posed in front of the 10-foot Monterey pine they selected. And from the thousands of trees she has to choose from in both her farm and her dad's tree farm in Frazier Park, next week Roatcap will look for her usual 2-foot silver tip. ``I love 'Charlie Brown' trees,'' Roatcap said, referring to what tree- growers call the one tree that's different from all the others. ``I think they're more interesting. They're characters.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color)Alex Dixon, 4, of Saugus helps his father carry their fresh cut Christmas tree out of Nancy's Ranch ranch, large farm devoted chiefly to raising and breeding cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. The cattle ranch was introduced from Latin America to Texas and the plains of the W United States and Canada. in Valencia on Friday. (2) A worker at Nancy's Ranch in Valencia helps Saugus resident Phil Brausam carry his Christmas tree Friday. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion