Farm gives away Christmas trees: 'That's what this year is all about'
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BORING, Ore. – Dick Trapp is honoring his late aunt’s wishes.
“My aunt passed away a little over two months ago, and before she passed her and her business partner decided this would be the last year in the Christmas tree business,” he said.
Trapp, a manager of Johansen U-Cut Christmas Trees in Boring, is giving trees away before the farm closes for good.
“It blesses me to bless others and that’s what this year is all about,” said Trapp.
Trapp said they’ve given away about 1,000 trees in the last two weeks, and the farm hopes to give away all of its remaining trees by Dec. 15. If you’re interested in picking up a tree, here is the farm’s address:
- Johansen U-Cut Christmas Trees
35738 SE Hauglum Road
Boring, OR
Trapp said customers have been surprised by the generosity.
“It was a couple of days ago that the first person that came was a single mom. She said ‘this is so neat. I buy a couple of gifts for my children or I buy a Christmas tree, and this year they can have both,’” said Trapp.
We heard about this story from a KATU news tip. If news is happening where you live, let us know at newstips@katu.com.
Posted on behalf of Dick Trapp:
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I wish you all a wonderful blessed Christmas! Today is the last day of the Johansonâs
Christmas trees giveaway. They are all gone. I just wanted to thank everyone who came to receive trees. You have helped each other; cutting trees, hauling, loading and securing your loads. I couldnât  do it all and you pitched in to help each other.
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   There have been many comments about trees and why we use them at Christmas. What counts, I believe is your reason for a tree. For me, it is a symbol of bringing Christ into my home. The decorations are my showing love, respect and reverence to Him and the gifts placed under the tree represent my love for others as He loves us. No, this is not Biblical, it is what a tree means to me.
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   Iâve spent 24 years in Law Enforcement, 5 years in Adult and the Juvenile Correction System. I thought I had seen the best and the worst and met people of all walks of life until Christmas 2012. I have never had the privilege of being able to give so much at one time to so many people. They werenât even my trees! My deceased aunt and Frank Johanson owned them but gave me the opportunity to give them away and bless others this Christmas.
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  Thank you so much to KATU Channel 2, Portland, Oregon, and to all of you for making this a special Christmas for me. I wish you all a very blessed Christmas.
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Dick Trapp
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P.S. Come see the annual Christmas Live Nativity, December 15th thru 17th  @ the Lynchwood Church of God, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is their 25th year and they will be 11 sets depicting the birth of Christ and His life here on earth. I encourage you and your family not to miss this event. It is located 3 blocks off Powell Blvd. on 174th.
@G Westoby Bless you for making a few peoples Christmas just a little bit better! You guys are a inspiration to some of us!
On behalf of Dick Trapp -
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I wish you all a wonderful blessed Christmas! Today is the last day of the Johansonâs
Christmas trees giveaway. They are all gone. I just wanted to thank everyone who came to receive trees. You have helped each other; cutting trees, hauling, loading and securing your loads. I couldnât  do it all and you pitched in to help each other.
Â
   There have been many comments about trees and why we use them at Christmas. What counts, I believe is your reason for a tree. For me, it is a symbol of bringing Christ into my home. The decorations are my showing love, respect and reverence to Him and the gifts placed under the tree represent my love for others as He loves us. No, this is not Biblical, it is what a tree means to me.
Â
   Iâve spent 24 years in Law Enforcement, 5 years in Adult and the Juvenile Correction System. I thought I had seen the best and the worst and met people of all walks of life until Christmas 2012. I have never had the privilege of being able to give so much at one time to so many people. They werenât even my trees! My deceased aunt and Frank Johanson owned them but gave me the opportunity to give them away and bless others this Christmas.
Â
  Thank you so much to KATU Channel 2, Portland, Oregon, and to all of you for making this a special Christmas for me. I wish you all a very blessed Christmas.
Â
Dick Trapp
Â
P.S. Come see the annual Christmas Live Nativity, December 15th thru 17th  @ the Lynchwood Church of God, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is their 25th year and they will be 11 sets depicting the birth of Christ and His life here on earth. I encourage you and your family not to miss this event. It is located 3 blocks off Powell Blvd. on 174th.
Mr. Trapp it is a wonderful thing you are doing. Â I know people who cannot afford a tree & this will bless them. Â There are people just trying to feed their families & probably won't even get any gifts. Â God bless you for your kindness!Â
Obviously this guys aunt didn't give a damn at all to the other hard working farms in the area who need this money to make a living, instead it was all about her..  I hope their farm sells for about 50% less because there are no trees, isn't that what they did to their neighbors.. And don't tell me this is all about the season... Please... Really !
There are families who wait all year to make this money and then have a farm pull the rug out from under them is beyond comprehension ... !!!! Actually this is a disgusting gesture !
 @dougrpdx We were out there yesterday and he didn't take anyone's business away. The trees have not been groomed or maintained well--so a person looking for a "perfect" christmas tree would have been moving on somewhere else. Most of the other tree farms-including the farm that does exclusively nobles down 352nd in Sandy had a hopping business, and we saw many, many cars with trees tied to the tops coming from different tree farms coming and going. So PUH-LEASE yourself, ok? Times are tough for lots of people right now and trees are crazy expensive. Also, it wasn't his aunt who decided to give the trees away, it was Mr. Trapp once she passed away.
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I don't know if you're a tree grower or just sour grapes because you got there and all the trees were gone? Most serious farmers who rely on the money from their evergreens ship to states like California and Arizona where a christmas tree in good condition will go for between 80.00-150.00 each.Â
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Why not allow people to enjoy the holiday and praise him for his act of generosity, rather than acting like someone force fed you sour bean curd?
 @dougrpdx wow how selfish you are its not all about money its about giving and there is enough people in this town im sure ull make money but its about people like you who dont or wont give to people like us that cant buy a tree anyway may be the people that can afford a tree will buy from you and save the free for people like us that people like you wont help mony hungrery selfish. merry christmas i hope ur karma doesnt hurt you it is all about giving and if more people were not like you maybe we would have a better world so merry christman you scroog
@dougrpdx Get over it, Scrooge. When all is said and done, he will look back with a feeling of self worth and know he did a good thing. You, on the other hand ...
Great idea Mr. Trapp! That is the spirit! Perhaps what some of the people could have done, who can easily afford a tree, was to donate the $$$ to a church, or shelter. All in all a great story!
This guy is really really nice. I wrote in to Katu about this place, and I'm glad they did a story on him so that others out there have the chance to get a tree.
I have went to this place every year for my trees, and they're always so nice and easy going. Most years when I went up there was just a coffee can there that you put your money into, and there were saws available for use also... very trusting :)Â Everyone lives their life their way, and it's no one elses job to tell someone how to do it. Â I love my Christmas trees because they bring a smile to my face and make me feel happy. It helps me relieve stress to be able to turn everything off and just hang out by the tree. It's not a religious or pagan thing for me, it's a family tradition that I plan on taking with me until I can't any more.
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Live and let live <3
D: Â Buy gifts OR buy a tree? Â Why not have just bought a fake tree one year and that way you never have to make your kids choose between gifts or a tree. Â How sad ;^; Â It's sad... I hate hearing about poorness. Â ;^;
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This story is awesome though! Â :D Â Good for him for helping struggling families. Â I know what it's like to not be able to afford even the cheapest christmas tree. Â I would feel bad taking a free tree since I have the money to pay for one now. Â I've already got mine all set up ^^ but hopefully everyone who came to take a tree is nice and happy with theirs too!
This is a great Sotry, and I am sure of some wishes to "Dig a tree" I am sure he would allow it.
 @lee986321 Lee, those trees were HUGE. about 9.5 feet at the shortest and well over 12 feet at tallest. There were a couple adorable charlie brown trees that could have been dug up (including this perfect little Noble sapling all by itself in a grove of super tall grands) but most wouldn't have been able to have moved without a cat digging them up. Mr. Trapp was just having everyone cut the trees off at the height they wanted...I am guessing they are going to level the tree lot when the main part of the trees are gone and either sell or grow a new crop.
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We've been off the 'kill a tree for christ" kick for a number of years, ever since our children grew up, but the last few years we DID, we had a potted living Spruce until it got too large to bring into the house and we planted it. Â
Even though xmas trees are planted for such a reason, it seems so wasteful to us. Plus, we live out in the country, so I probably see a dozen trees discarded by the roadside every day on my way to work after New Year's.
 @richXXIII HOW SILLY ! Do you feel like this when you eat corn ? This is a crop.. A crop I say !
 @richXXIII ~  Um-hmm... We had living Christmas trees whenever we could... We brought them into the house for as many years as they were small enough to move around, and then we planted them outdoors to enjoy for many more years.  Â
@richXXIII "kill a tree for Christ"????? Uhmmm...you have no religion you grew up in, do you? Christmas trees are a pagan symbol...nothing to do with Christ. But I for one, love them anyway. Maybe we should stop "killing" trees to make more apartments and subdivisions for those who keep having kids...ya think??
 @richXXIII I DOG THE TREES! And then either re-use them of plant them. Nothing Anti-Christain about that. Seeing how we are to be "Stewards of the earth"
Christmas trees are one of those things that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their faith or non-faith. Â Christmas tress are just beautiful reminders that some green growing things STAY green, even in winter, when everything else is looking gray and wet and pretty bleak... Â Â
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I'm sure that Mr trapp's kind and generous gesture is especially welcome right now, given the (also bleak) state of our economy...these trees will no doubt bring an awful lot of joy to people who get them, and who could not afford to buy them...
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Merry Christmas, Mr Trapp..! Â :-)
There are other places where its very cheap to buy an xmas tree. Â Look on craigslist; you will see places that sell them for $5 all over the area from Oregon City to Camas!
 @portlandborn83 Unfortunately there are some people out there that can't even afford $5. What this many is doing is a very generous gesture. I commend him for it.
Gee. Such a kindhearted man.
âIt was a couple of days ago that the first person that came was a single mom. She said âthis is so neat. I buy a couple of gifts for my children or I buy a Christmas tree, and this year they can have both,ââ said Trapp.
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Bless you, Mr. Trapp! May your generosity bring struggling families closer together during the holidays and throughout the year!
Who cares about a tree in the house? Jeremiah 10:2-4
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Jesus never said to celebrate his birth, but to remember his death & believe in the resurrection.Â
 @BREAKING NEWS !!! You sound like a Jehovah's Witness.....you know....the ONLY religion that is in the truth. (sarcasm off).Â
 @scoreboard  @BREAKING NEWS !!! All religions are false.
@terre08 you are quite the moron, aren't you?
 @BREAKING NEWS !!! Jesus never said NOT to celebrate his birth, there, either, did he?I don't go to church but I'm more than happy to celebrate and reflect on the life of one of the greatest prophets of kindness, charity and humanity in the history of civilization whether he's the son of God or not. Jesus, as they say, was Way Cool!
 @BREAKING NEWS !!! Jesus is dead. He was just a guy, possibly homo se xual (he sure did sleep with a lot of men) and he was killed a long time ago. There are a ton of people who don't believe in divinity of Jesus or anyone else, instead choosing to ponder facts.And you? You're a Scrooge.
@Harry A. Ness Every time I come on here while drinking my coffee, someone like you makes a comment like that and I laugh and spit coffee all over my keyboard, at least I know this Ligitech holds up well under adverse conditions....Thanks!
@BREAKING NEWS !!! Perhaps the tree is more about family tradition and the coming together for the holidays no matter what the religious belief or non-belief, and just a time of sharing?
 @flyroy  @BREAKING Sounds like Linus from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Outstanding, sir.