Sinterklaas has returned to Spain, so it’s high time to decorate the Christmas tree. But many people today consider a sawn-off tree that is burned at the stake again after three weeks as a shame. In Cromvoirt they have a solution for this. There you can get a Christmas tree that will be put back in the ground after three weeks. And if it grows well, customers will receive the same tree again next year.
“I’m here to pick up the bald neck!” says a regular customer of De Loverense Hof. He immediately recognizes his pine tree by its bare top. “This is the fifth time we have picked up this tree. It is a bit ugly, but we just really like that this is much more sustainable.”
Yet there are also a lot of full Christmas trees to choose from. “Ours looked the same the first time, but it’s getting a little uglier every year. But we still like it the way it is, so we’re keeping it.”
“It’s just really nice to see the tree getting bigger and bigger.”
A little later a family with three young children enters the grounds. “We’re here for Kiki Kaka!”, 8-year-old Fie shouts enthusiastically to one of the employees. The family walks to the canopy full of Christmas trees and soon their eyes fall on their beloved tree. “That’s him,” the girl shouts. “Wow!” She carefully examines all the bright green new ends on the pine tree.
“He has become much bigger and more beautiful!” says Dad. The tree has grown at least five centimeters taller. “It’s just really nice to see the tree getting bigger and bigger,” says the young lady as they carefully load the tree into the car.
More than nine years ago, Frederieke Praasterink from Cromvoirt (62) started the sustainable loan system for Christmas trees. “I thought it was so incredibly strange that we cut down so many Christmas trees and threw them back on the street after a few weeks. They are living trees, they can last much longer and we try to let them live here as long as possible.”
The trees are grown in pots. This means that all the roots are in the pot and can grow there. Every year the trees are placed in a larger pot so that they have more space to grow and they are neatly cared for. This way, the trees can be taken to their permanent addresses Christmas after Christmas.
And then there may be special surprises in the tree. “Sometimes there are even bird nests in the tree. We always leave them there. Children enjoy putting a Christmas ball in them.”
Keeping the trees alive is not always possible. “We also have trees dying, but the chance of survival is quite high. I think that at least eighty percent of the trees will last to next Christmas,” says Frederieke.
The trees last an average of two to five years before it is time to enjoy a well-deserved retirement in the retirement forest. “Here our trees have their roots free in the ground and they have the space to become an adult tree. Here they often make a big growth spurt. They can live for decades,” says Frederieke’s daughter and co-owner Marente.
At the end of the collection days, Frederieke’s family proudly toasts with a glass at the campfire. De Loverense Hof is a real family business. “Everyone always works really hard on these peak days and it is just great to do this with the whole family.”
The family sees the number of customers increasing. “We have had a huge waiting list this year. We notice that we don’t even have to advertise and yet we always sell out. People seem to be increasingly realizing that it is no longer timely to put your tree in the trash after a few weeks. We are very happy with that.”