Sun sets on Optimists Christmas tree operation

St. James-Assiniboia

All good things must come to an end.

When Bob Migliore moved to Winnipeg from New York City in 1970, it didn’t take long for him to get involved in a community service club. By 1973, he was a dedicated member of the St. James Optimist Club, working to raise funds for its various initiatives.

At its peak, the St. James Optimist Club supported community projects such as providing furniture to breastfeeding women and dishwashers to area schools in the area, by selling Easter baskets, Thanksgiving turkeys and — its staple — running its annual Christmas tree lot.

Migliore, now 85, said he has been selling trees every year (save for one) that he’s been involved with the club. However, last year was likely his last, as the group, which has only nine members has decided its lot will cease operations

“It’s sad,” Migliore said, adding that he’s had generations of people come to the Assiniboine Golf Club parking lot over the last 30 years, to grab their seasonal trees. “It became our thing.”

Migliore said the Optimists would order their trees, around 500 a year, on average, from a supplier in Headingley and sell them below market value.

“People (were) frantic to get our trees,” he said. “I think it’s because of the service we provide.”

Migliore has fond memories of the tree sale. He associates the first time he helped load trees, for example, with the cold weather of his new home.

“After a while, a fellow opened his trunk. We all gathered ’round and we opened a bottle of rum — and it had ice crystals in it,” Migliore recalled.

He also learned “there is a tree for everybody,” telling a story of a Scotch pine that had to be trimmed, resulting in a very jagged, ugly trunk. It was gone the same night.

“When we found somebody who couldn’t afford a tree, we quietly gave them a free tree or a great discount,” Migliore remembered. A couple of times, people who received those trees paid the kindness forward the following year.

Migliore said the St. James Optimist Club will now focus on supporting its community with the money it currently has, through four scholarships and other community initiatives. He said participation in club activities and the number of regular meetings has dwindled exponentially in the last few years.

“The club knew in their gut,” he said of the end of the Christmas tree sale.

“My appreciation shows no bounds to how loyal and friendly our customers were,” Migliore said. “I just want to let them know that this era had to end, like many other things, and that we’re sorry, and we wish them a happy, happy Christmas.”