Every year, an army of friendly, woodsy-looking salespeople, many from Quebec, sell live Christmas trees on New York City sidewalks.
Street vendors are ubiquitous on the city’s landscape, but New Yorkers have a particular fondness for the Christmas tree migrants. For one month every winter, Christmas tree sellers become the glue cementing neighborhoods together. On the streets at most hours, they’re the first to say hello and the last to say goodnight; their presence creates a small-town ambiance in a city of 8.4 million people. At a time when disease is trapping New Yorkers inside, tree vendors remain a resilient force, keeping spirits high and connections intact.