Selling Xmas Trees

My Father was a coal miner in Cape Breton and after many years underground he was elected by the miners union to be the coal delivery man for ward 4 in sydney mines.This transition caused Dad to buy horses, enlarge our stable and basically start a business.It was hard work in those days with all the work being done by hand. The coal cars were pushed to a siding and the lower doors opened. Dad had to shovel the coal from the ground to a dumpcart in summer and a sleigh in winter.

We boys helped on Saturday or school holidays.This business placed Dad in a situation wher other work was requested like hauling ashes from homes using coal stoves and provided me with a means to earn money. We also sold shore coal and picked coal from the hihg ball.Every Christmas people in Dads ward requested him to bring them a Xmax tree.

We simply took our horse and sleigh out of town and when you saw a tree you cut it and went on until you had your load. This was crown land or company land and there were no legal problems drom cutting these trees...One year we had many orders for trees and Dad did not keep a very good account of the trees needed. We cut what we thought was enough with a few extra and delivered them to our happy customers. The normal price was $2 for a small one and $3 for a large one. I delivered what I thought was the last one and kept a good one for our home.

Dad discovered that he missed one order and of course we had to give the good tree to Mrs. Forrest.Mom got involved when she saw nothing but Charlie Brown Trees left.Dad smiled and said he would take care of it. Dad took the last squaggy trees to the garage and stood the tree with the best stem and put it on the stand. With his brace and bit he drilled holes in the bare spots and with a little work designed and built a perfect tree.

When Dad brought the tree into the house everyone was amazed at the perfect tree.Mom was so pleased and as we decorated this tree we continuallymade comments about its perfection. The tree served the purpose but a day after Xmas we had a two toned tree. The branches dad had attached to the tree dropped their needles. We usually kept our tree untilNew Years but that year it was taken outside a few days earlier.

Dad made sure that the trees for us were the very best he cut and Mom made sure of that. We still talk of the two toned tree from that year and have a good laugh at Dad expense.