A piece of home: Nova Scotia Christmas trees hauled to Fort McMurray, Alta.
Homesickness around the holiday season led one couple living in northern Alberta to start a Christmas tree lot stocked with special firs from their family farm in Nova Scotia.
Fort McMurray is home to many east coasters, and for most of them, there's nothing like a Nova Scotian Balsam Fir Christmas tree.
The Lenihan family has grown the Christmas trees for generations, but the economic downturn in 2013 pushed Blake to leave the farm behind with his brother and work in Fort McMurray.
"Blake was heartbroken not to have a piece of home with him, and he really missed his Nova Scotia Balsam Fir Christmas trees," his wife Ann Kidston told CTV News Edmonton. "He was homesick."
"Blake and Laird have grown up harvesting and selling Christmas trees and selling firewood."
In 2014, Kidston set out to have one tree shipped from the family farm more than 5,000 kilometres away until she found out it would cost a small fortune.
"We knew there were other east coasters out here," she added. "So, why not try to bring a little bit of our home out here with us to Fort McMurray."
That's what prompted McMurrays Christmas Trees. The business has grown from sending just a dozen trees in its first year to hundreds.
"We've been doing it ever since," Kidston said. "It's a labour of love."
This year, 601 trees were shipped to the northern Alberta town. Half of the trees sold in just 24 hours this weekend.
"It's sort of like our Christmas when our trees arrive," Kidston said. "We love to be right there… cause you can just smell the balsam fir.
"Balsam fir has a wonderful fragrance," she added.
People lined up at the Christmas tree lot in Fort McMurray, Alta., Saturday morning to get their hands on a Balsam Fir tree (Supplied).
In the past, Kidston said the trees would be brought by truck from the farm in Lunenburg County to Halifax then taken by rail to Edmonton. From there, a truck would rush them to Fort McMurray.
With supply challenges due to the pandemic, the family had to enlist the help of a truck hauler to bring them the entire way to northern Alberta in time for Christmas.
Lloyd Benedict, who usually hauls seafood and helps others move between the provinces with Radars Moves, filled his transport truck with the trees.
"That's definitely a piece of home," Benedict said. "We figured the east coasters that live out here; it's a big part of being home."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.