Peter Pendule, like many others, came to New York City for the holidays. However, unlike most, he arrived early from near the Canadian border with one goal in mind this holiday season: selling as many Christmas trees as possible.
Initially staying briefly with an acquaintance in a Chelsea apartment, Pendule now spends most of his time at “Le Chic Shack,” his small, makeshift cabin located at the corner of Broadway and 73rd Street. Surrounded by a small forest of trees for sale, he rests in a vehicle when not busy working.
Pendule is part of a small seasonal shift of Christmas tree vendors, often known as “tree men,” who set up shop on city sidewalks in small shacks. For numerous New Yorkers, the sight of freshly cut firs, balsams, and spruces lining the city streets, filling the air with the unmistakable evergreen scent, signifies the holiday season’s arrival as much as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.
Vendors have been selling Christmas trees on New York sidewalks since 1938, following a City Council law that challenged Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s crackdown on Christmas tree vending.
La Guardia had ordered that all sidewalk tree vendors obtain costly licenses, threatening the trade. In response, the Council passed the Coniferous Tree Exception, allowing Christmas tree sales on sidewalks with store owner approval.
The law initially referred to the right of “storekeepers and peddlers” to sell and display coniferous trees before Christmas, originally mentioning “Christmas trees” until the language changed in 1984.
This year marks Pendule’s fifth year of bringing a small forest for sale to Manhattan. A family-run company, not his own, brings in the trees from Quebec and assists him in setting up, though Pendule outfits his shack.
“It depends,” Pendule said about sales speed, observing his trees ranging from three to 12 feet tall. “Some days we don’t sell any, and other days we can sell 20.”
Pendule and his partner construct a small shack that keeps him warm and sheltered as he works from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. A heater near a workbench fights the winter cold.
“We use wood we find in the street. Mostly pallets and scrap from trash,” Pendule said in his sidewalk shack with plastic overhead for protection. “There’s a lot of good stuff just lying around.”
Trees generally sell for $30 a foot, and Pendule offers delivery and installation, if preferred. He also sells a wooden Star of David for Jewish customers buying Hanukkah bushes.
He crafts and sells small wooden snowmen and reindeer, minus the red nose to avoid religious implications.
“We sell them, and people love them,” he said about the small figures displayed on a wooden counter. “Everything is $20.”
Artificial trees have taken part of the market, and small trees are in demand due to many New Yorkers living in small apartments. However, larger trees also find homes.
“Lots of people have small apartments, so they go with a smaller tree,” Pendule stated. “Some have room, so they know what they want.”
While selling trees is a winter business, Pendule also delivers first aid products to companies throughout the year. He co-founded a nonprofit to bring people with disabilities to the outdoors.
He eagerly anticipates his annual NYC trip, despite not engaging in typical tourist activities like seeing the Rockettes. Viewing his work as a service, tradition, and holiday staple, he spends little time away from his trees, interacting with shoppers and window shoppers alike.
“I do fun things in New York, but it’s tough due to long days and hours,” he remarked about the physical work amidst the cold. “It’s hard to go out and meet people.”
He has enjoyed rock climbing in Central Park, visited Christie’s to see a Picasso, and explored wine bars.
Over five years, Pendule has developed his own holiday traditions. A local resident crafted a striking small, colorful, artificial palm tree that Pendule showcases with colorful lights.
“We try to offer him exposure,” Pendule said. “It’s been four years since he’s been making items for us to display.”
Pendule also distributes sheets of paper with a scene outline, including a tree for children and adults to color. He frames and displays one at a time at his shack, currently showing one drawn by “Hazel.”
“She’s a neighborhood kid,” Pendule shared. “We give Christmas drawings to kids, and if they return them, we exhibit them.”
Pendule says he’s formed connections, learning about people’s problems, plans, dreams, and daily lives. He’s not quite a sidewalk Santa, but he’s part of the season for many.
“We organize a neighborhood block party here with music, Santa Claus, and surprises,” Pendule added.
As we spoke, passersby stopped to look, consider, and perhaps plan to purchase. A window shopper commented, “Muy
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