Across the immense, consuming sweep of human history, one truth remains principal: we seek moments that give life meaning. Among these, few shine as brightly as Christmas, a magical time when joy, wonder, and purpose come alive.
Adjacent to the secondary parking lot, in a compact 400-acre school in the center of the little town of Haverford, voluntary students and faculty unite to kindle a warm glow that engulfs the campus in vibrant red, green, and gold colors. It’s here, beneath the soft yet bright lights of a small tent—where a couple of zealous students laugh over Christmas movie conversations with homemade hot chocolate in hand between helping families decide which Balsam Fir to bring home—that the spirit of Christmas comes to life.
“It’s a really positive event,” history teacher and tree sale coordinator Mr. Brian Long said. “We have families that have been doing it for many years, and they always have a good experience. But the success of the tree sale relies upon [the students], and offering families a good experience when they’re buying a tree. They enjoy coming in and interacting with you guys, and by and large, [they] have a great time.”
Dating back decades, the distribution of two hundred twenty-two Balsam Fir trees fresh from a small farm in Nova Scotia helps fund student prom tickets.
“I think the best part of the tree sale is seeing the students kind of rally together and get some real-life experience outside the classroom,” Mr. Long said. “They’re running a small business, and it’s fun to oversee that and to see them gain experience working with real money, having real customer interactions, and learning to problem-solve on the fly. I think that that’s really valuable at a school.”
“People judge teenagers in certain ways, and they’re surprised by how efficient and quick we are.” – Elliott Goodspeed ’26
Beyond the service itself, the tree sale opens a window for families to see Haverford’s culture.
“It’s a great way for the families that are not involved in Haverford’s community to get a sense of the people that we are,” tree sale captain Sixth Former Caleb Siever said. “I feel like it gives perspective to families that maybe don’t have too much perspective on Haverford and its mission.”
“People judge teenagers in certain ways, and they’re surprised by how efficient and quick we are,” Sixth Form tree-sale captain Elliott Goodspeed said. “We’re actually some of the best tree sale workers.”
This year brought several updates to the sale, including adjusting tree sizes based on previous sales and adding resources like the shed, as well as streamlining logistics to make the process more efficient. These changes give students the chance to slow down and appreciate the small, ordinary moments.
“There’s a certain romance in bonding with classmates you’d not normally talk with.” – Mr. Timothy Lengel
“I think it’s really fun to kind of sit there with your friends,” Siever said. “The downtimes are always nice because it’s not always a super busy process. You’re not always moving the trees. There’s always time in between sales, where you’re just kind of sitting there with your friends, having a football game propped up, enjoying the moment.”
“There’s a certain romance in bonding with classmates you’d not normally talk with,” tree sale coordinator and history teacher Mr. Timothy Lengel said.
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