A Cahaba Heights Christmas (tree)
Nestled in the quiet community of Cahaba Heights, the Howells work months in advance to bring Christmas cheer to families all over the state of Alabama. Howell Christmas Trees is a family owned and operated local business committed to hand-selecting quality trees for more than 30 years.
In 1983, four years before his first son, Patrick, now 29, was born, Billy Howell began selling Christmas trees to families in Birmingham. Howell handpicks his premium Fraser firs from a farm in North Carolina each year in October before they’re fully grown, harvested and brought down to Alabama for the holiday season, where they’re cut upon purchase and should last a little over a month in customers’ homes. He pays close attention to the shape, color, needle retention and size, measuring and inspecting each tree carefully before he decides to take it to Birmingham. In the off season, Howell works at a machine shop in Trussville full-time, where he often makes items he uses on his lot, including tree stands.
“I can make them cheaper than I could buy them and give my customers a good product as well,” Howell said.
“When my wife and I first got married, I bought a live tree for the house and saw how expensive they were, it seemed like a way to make some money,” Howell joked. “The next year, I bought about 25 Virginia pine trees from a small farm in Sylacauga and set up at a little flea market near Irondale and sold every one of them. The next weekend, I did the same thing, and sold all of them again,” he says.
Now, Howell sells around 1,600 Christmas trees to several Birmingham communities including Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia. But they have customers come from as far away as as Gadsden and Montgomery. Howell’s efforts have been fruitful, to say the least. His profits put both his children through college.
Howell’s Christmas Trees officially go on sale on Black Friday every year, a popular time to go out and pick a live tree with the entire family instead of wrestling crowds for bargains at retail stores. According to Howell’s wife, Patti, “we have had several lots over the years, including up to four lots at a time some years, this year only one lot will be operational - the Cahaba Heights lot at Winn Dixie on Crosshaven Drive.”
The Howells sell regular retail trees and yard trees to be set up outside, which have gained popularity in recent years through garden clubs in Mountain Brook and Homewood. Patti handles the business side of things.
“She takes care of the money,” Howell said.
His daughter, Elizabeth, 24, assists in making hand-made wreaths and garlands with clippings from the trees. Patrick works on the lot as well, making the business a full family affair.
The Howells deliver and set up their trees free of charge to surrounding areas, “even all the way down to Helena and Alabaster,” Howell says. Customers return year after year for these beautiful trees, rich in color and scent, leaving with the trees in car trunks, truck beds or tied on top of all sorts of vehicles. A family member, Chris, recalls Patti climbing on top of a Hummer to secure a tree.
Many Birmingham residents trust Howell to pick the perfect tree for their homes. He selects special trees for his most loyal clients, some ranging from 10 to 14 feet in height, referring to them as “Billy Trees.”
“I pick out trees for about 75 different customers — most don’t even see what they look like until I deliver them to their homes,” Howell said.
Howell sells Fraser firs that are native to the Appalachian Mountains, making them ideal for our climate in Alabama, where they’ll stay fresh and long-lasting. What sets Howell Christmas Trees apart is his attention to detail, customer service and passion for providing traditional holiday centerpieces to households all over our state.
See Howell’s firs for yourself in front of Winn Dixie on Crosshaven Drive and visit their website at howellchristmastrees.com.