“So what did you do for the weekend, Leslie?” asked Yvonne.
“We went over to Grand County and cut down a Christmas tree on the National Forest land.”
“Oh, that sounds so romantic! David, you should do that.” she said.
“But, I don’t have a tree shaker. What do you about all the needles and stuff?” David replied.
Yvonne and I looked at each other. I’m sure my face matched her quizzical look.
“What’s a tree shaker?” we said in unison.
“You know, a tree shaker. When we would get our Christmas tree growing up, they would cut the tree and then put in the tree shaker. Then they would bale it and we would take home.”
“Oh my God! I’ve got to look this up.” I yelled.
I quickly Google “tree shaker”.
“There’s a Youtube video for the “Lil Shakee” tree shaker. I’m pulling it up now.”
Yvonne and I sit transfixed as we watch a bearded man wearing a green jacket holding a Christmas tree. The “parts” of the shaker then flash on the screen.
He then inserts the Christmas tree inside a hole and the tree starts to vibrate like it was given an electric shock treatment.
Yvonne and I burst into laughter. She laughs so hard, I’m afraid she is going to break a rib.
“It’s like…” she gasps in between. “It’s like something is wrong with the tree. It’s having an epileptic seizure!”
This sends all three of us into more laughter, including David.
The burly man goes on to show how you just push the button with your foot to activate the “shaker.” For some strange reason, he demonstrates how he can use his elbow to start the shaker.
“Again!” I yell and we run the entire video again, laughing merrily.
Finally, after the laughter quells, David asks innocently, “Well, if you don’t use the tree shaker, how do you get all the stuff off the tree?”
“David, trust me, when you load the tree on your roof and drive 60 miles per hour down the road, there won’t be anything left to shake out” I chime in.
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
Of course, this whole thing delighted me so much, I have to show my husband about this new found Christmas tool. It’s so strange to think these holiday customs exist in parts of the country that you never know about until a chance meeting with a co-worker.
The bonus — now I know just what to get for the person who has everything.
Their very own tree shaker, for the bargain price of $1,500.
