Dees' Trees For Troops

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Vol. 20 No. 47	Thursday December 9, 2021

Dees' Trees For Troops

     For most every soldier stationed overseas, no matter how hardened, waking up during Christmastide and finding yourself so very far from home is always a rough assignment, and short of war, the toughest duty.
     For the past 18 years Dees Nursery & Florist Inc, a plant and flower nursery, and old-time family business, located just off the main runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Oceanside, New York has made a mostly overlooked effort to bring holiday cheer in the form of the live simple Christmas tree to U.S. troops stationed in far flung outposts around the world.
     Dees' spends most of the year selling plants and trees and lawn care products to people from all over the metropolitan area.
     So on Monday December 6 came the once-a-year event as Dees' chopped down several hundred Christmas trees from its big farm in Maine and, in partnership with DHL, sent those trees free of charge to our U.S. troops.
     During the 18 years of Christmas Trees For Troops, perhaps the most touching and poignant part of all of this has been the involvement of local school children that create cards and ornaments to put on the trees.
Christmas trees, cards and ornaments . . . simple expressions of love and caring for our troops in 2021 in places including Iraq and Kuwait.
     The Christmas Trees for Troops initiative was launched in December 2004 after a woman at Dees' Nursery inquired about how to ship a Christmas tree to her son in Iraq.

     Today as Christmas approaches and Santa travels alongside the trees out to the cargo area at JFK International Airport, we had the opportunity to speak to Joseph DiDominica and Tom DiDominica, (right) the proprietors of Dees' nursery. We asked the brothers just how long will they continue to ship these trees?
     “What we do here feels good, especially involving the younger generation," Tom said.
     “If it feels good, it is good,” Joe added.
     “We will continue to provide these trees until the soldiers get home,” the brothers said.
     “That is the least we can do to support our troops.”
     Business is business, but these brothers and their partners, including big powerful DHL and scores of our next generation of school kids' concern and love bring home the real meaning of Christmas and make the Yuletide bright.
     Dees' is located at: 69 Atlantic Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572. (516) 678-3535.
GDA/SAA

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