May we help you buy your Christmas tree? Credit union surprises shoppers
Some visitors to the Christmas Tree House in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Dec. 15, were prohibited by manager Kelly Corbin from purchasing trees off the lot.
They weren’t prevented from taking them home, just from purchasing them.
The surprise was made possible by Wescom Credit Union, which sponsored 16 Christmas tree lots around Southern California, pitching in money to help pay up to $100 per tree for customers. Wescom started the day ready to spend $2,000 at each lot.
This was the fourth year the credit union has made the donations through its Random Acts of Wescom Kindness program. “Random” meant those who received payments toward trees did not have to be needy or qualify in any way.
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Tracy Hughes showed up at the Costa Mesa lot with her husband Scott and their 18-year-old son Chris. At first the consumer fraud attorney from Newport Beach thought she was being scammed. “Everything in this world has a catch,” Scott Hughes said.
But the couple quickly realized the $100 towards their 8-feet tall noble fir was a genuine gift. “We are very appreciative,” Tracy said.
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” she quipped.
At the Christmas Tree House lot, trees range from $50 to more than $300 for “silver tips” like the ones in Disney’s Frozen movie. The pricier ones grow slower and can have a foot of depth between the branches, and they typically grow to be 14- to 18-feet tall.
“Buying a Christmas tree shouldn’t be about stress,.” said Corbin, who takes a month off from her job as a building inspector to work in the lot, something she’s done for eight years. “It should be about kids having fun, family bliss and good times.”
In 2019, Wescom Credit Union will mark its 85th year serving Southern California. The company has 23 branches, it’s most recent opening in November in Anaheim.