Local Christmas Tree Lot Celebrates 55 Years of Creating Yuletide Memories

By Mary Casey-Sturk

The Newport Shopping Center has played a part in many of our shopping experiences for decades. For this writer, it was visiting JCPenney (or just “Penney’s” as we called it) to visit Santa Claus (he always had a gift), order our Scout uniforms, and buy school clothes. During those visits of my childhood, if I was extra good, we also stopped at the record store.  

Christmas time was quite busy in the pre-mall and internet shopping days, and the shopping center was also where families would purchase their Christmas trees.  The tradition of Christmas trees is said to have started in Central Europe and was popularized in England by the royal family in the 1800s and 1900s.  According to the National Christmas Tree Association, “25-30 million Real Christmas Trees are sold in the U.S. every year. There are close to 350 million Real Christmas Trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers. North American Real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada.”

Meet Paul Stuempel

2025 marks the 55^th anniversary of “Natural Green – Real Christmas Trees”, a stand-alone old-fashioned Christmas Tree Lot.  “Still operating the same as it was 55 years ago,” shares  owner Paul Stuempel, “an Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree Lot.” That’s an impressive run of Christmas spirit, and you know they must be on Santa’s “nice list’!

Paul Stuempel was not quite 25 years old when he opened his first tree lot in 1970 on Donnermeyer Drive in Bellevue, KY.  Since then, Stuempel has sold over 60,000 Christmas Trees.  He employs approximately 12 workers each season, including many local high school students.  

In 1970, Stuempel’s business was slow, and he knew he had to do something to supplement his income when, out of nowhere, he saw Christmas trees as something he might want to try – with little money and a lot of ambition, he opened his first Christmas tree lot.  At the time, there were six Christmas Tree lots within two blocks.  In 1984, he left that location and moved to Van Leunen’s.  He and his lot have stayed in the general vicinity since that move.  Stuempel loves the business, noting, “It’s so heartwarming and ecologically beneficial.”

Over the years, Stuempel has seen a gradual evolution in the type of Christmas Trees customers prefer.  Fifty-five years ago, everyone wanted thin Balsam Firs, now it’s Frasier Firs, fuller, more layered trees, and they tend to have a deeper color.  Today, the Balsam Firs are hard to find.  In addition to trees, wreaths, pine roping, tree stands, greens, tree bags, and tree life are available for purchase.  Christmas tree music is played from 9-8, he also trims the trees to the customer’s desires, and butts the tree for a fresh cut.

Trees not sold by the end of the season, which has been around the 15^th of December, are donated to Free Stores in the area.

This Christmas Season, Paul Stuempel will be celebrating 55 years in the Christmas Tree business.  An unexpected direction turns into a lifelong passion, in 1970, when he first opened, he didn’t have any idea he would fall in love with the business and that he would develop a real passion for what started as an act of desperation.  No job, and with little or no money, he opened his first lot to hopefully supplement his income. 55 years later, the passion is still there.  Stuempel shares, “It’s not an easy job; you put in long hours, plus you and the trees are at the mercy of Mother Nature.” Adding, “She can be fickle at times.”

Past winters proved challenging. 

Stuempel remembers, “One season it started raining on the 2^nd of December, on the 3^rd changed over to snow, then temps plummeted to the single digits.  Stacks of trees were saturated and then became blocks of ice.  Frozen together, it took all we could do to separate them from the frozen stack.  Once separated, we had a tree that was impossible to open up!  It was the busiest day of the season- 10 degrees and wind blowing 25 mph.  What am I going to do?  Well, I picked up a very large Turbo Heater (looking like a small jet engine) and 200 lbs. of propane gas.” Adding with good humor, “ We blasted super-heated air through each tree from tip to trunk.  What a nightmare – but it worked.  I got through a seemingly impossible situation – many Christmas Tree retailers having no way to sell their inventory had to haul their trees to the dump.  I endured several other seasons of extreme (single-digit) cold with no shelter, but had no intention of ever giving up.  Passion for the business drove me forward through the years, and the weather trends have changed with each December, for the most part being fairly mild.  The last bad season was 2013 with heavy snow and very cold weather.”

Changing times, “We always opened ten days before Thanksgiving, as we know the Christmas Season keeps getting earlier.  In the early years, 50 years ago, we would open on or a little before the 5^th of December, and there would be no business before the 5^th.   Today 15% of trees will be sold before Thanksgiving, and 75% will sell by December 5^th.”

Natural Green will be set up for the season at Newport Shopping Center 1711 Monmouth Street, Newport.

Tips for picking and caring for your tree:

Finding the right size tree to fit your home is important, he said.  Many times, people overestimate the size of the tree they need, and this causes hassles when the buyer must spend time cutting the tree to fit.  The most important tip: to keep the tree hydrated.

You need a fresh cut in the base of your tree within the hour of when you are going to put it up, otherwise, sap will seal the bottom, and the tree will not take in the water it needs.  Very warm water is best for the first watering, and even if you’re not going to put it up right away, put it in water.  Not only does it make for a healthy, long-lasting tree, but keeping your tree watered is a safety issue as well.  A fresh tree will not support a flame, but once it starts to dry out, “all bets are off” shares Stuempel. “ Keep an eye on the water, some trees will drink up to a gallon a day.”

Another tip is to put your tree disposal bag over your stand and under your tree skirt.  That way, when you are ready to dispose of your tree, you can remove that skirt and bring the bag up over your tree easily.

Caring for your Christmas tree is like taking care of a long-stemmed rose.  They are like flowers; you must put a fresh cut to your tree like you would a flower, keep your tree watered, check the water level daily, and remember the two worst enemies are wind and sun.  Don’t take your tree home and store it on the porch or in the yard, put it in water with a fresh cut, a fresh tree will not flame, a dry tree flames.

Remember:

Once the tree is home, have a fresh cut and place it in water immediately 

Make sure the tree stand holds at least one gallon of water

Keep the water in the tree stand at a consistent level

At all times, keep the tree away from direct heat, candles, and fireplaces.

If you follow these guidelines, your tree will last for a long time.