'A good Christmas vibe from the community'

Christmas may be more than a week away, but for a couple of Albuquerque tree sellers, the start of this year's business has been better than normal.

Roybals X-Mas Trees owner Ted Roybal said he recently spent a few days in the mountains in Mora County chopping down and hauling about 120 white fir and piñon trees to his North Valley business just to replenish his supply, which ran out earlier than usual.

Because demand has been so high, Roybal said he started selling the trees a week before Thanksgiving. As of Thursday, he said he sold about 900 trees, which is 50% more than the 600 trees he typically sells during the first couple weeks of the season.

Roybal said while he does not know what caused the increase in demand, he expects to sell about 1,300 trees this season, with some coming from New Mexico and others arriving from Michigan.

"I've been working and working nonstop," he said. "As soon as I get a chance, I head back to the mountains to get a couple more trees."

Roybal, who was born on Christmas Day in 1968, is continuing a family business that he said his grandfather started in the 1960s.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the job, he said, is talking with customers "and trying to help in whatever way I can."

"You talk to the same people year after year, you watch how they grow, their grandkids grow, and then you meet new customers every year," Roybal said.

One of those first-time tree shoppers is University of New Mexico football head coach Jason Eck, who recently bought an 18-foot-tall white fir.

"He was pretty happy with it," Roybal said. "From what I understand, his wife has commented that it's the best tree they've ever had. So, that makes me happy."

Roybal's quality trees are why long-time customers and Corrales residents Jane Phillips and Laurie Phillips said they come back every year.

"I like the fact that it's a local business," Jane Phillips said. "These guys, especially Ted, are up there tending to trees in the forest land. ... He's taking care of our forest and he is bringing beautiful trees down for us, and we're happy to acquire a couple of them every year." 

Laurie said he is glad they are "supporting something they love."

"There's no doubt that buying a tree from the Roybals is almost as good as cutting your own tree," he said.

Roybals is not the only Duke City Christmas tree business that is reporting a robust start to its season.

Garcia Family Christmas Trees owner Rick Sanchez said, as of Thursday, he has sold about 200 trees over the past couple of weeks.

"We've been very, very blessed and lucky to have had a good start to the season," he said. 

While Sanchez said he doesn't know how many trees he will sell this month, "we're feeling a good Christmas vibe from the community." He said he attributes some of those vibes to an increase in internet customers.

"A lot of people are Googling us or finding us on Yelp or Reddit," Sanchez said. 

He said several new buyers have bought trees and were satisfied. 

"That's something to be said (since we've) been in business 88 years," Sanchez said.

Most of the trees people buy, he said, come from across New Mexico, including Pecos and the Black Lake area.

"A lot of these trees come from family properties," Sanchez said. "It doesn't get any more local than that. It doesn't get any more family than that. Because folks are working, for the most part, together to help each other to make sure that every one of us has our tree lot open during the season."