It's the time of year again when Christmas celebrants from across Jamaica journey to Constant Spring Road in St Andrew to scout for the perfect tree for the season. Of course, you could always head to the nearest variety store and pick up a plastic tree, in the size and colour of your choice but, for the more discerning lovers of all things Christmas, a 100 per cent natural, completely authentic tree, bought on a crowded, dusty sidewalk in the heart of the city, is the only way to go.

It was just after midday on a Tuesday when I showed up at the famous tree-selling spot. There I met Leonard, from Molynes Road, one of the tree vendors who show up, seemingly out of nowhere, every year at this time. He was busy, using a small clipper to prune one of the trees.

"Sell yuh a tree, boss?" he said, looking up. I told him I wasn't shopping at that moment but was interested in finding out how things were going.

"Well, di rush nuh too start yet still. We just start sell di tree dem from di edda day, so we ah gwaan watch it and see how things go," he said, eyeing passers-by eagerly.

"Sell yuh ah tree, nice lady?" he said to a woman walking by us. She waved him off and quickly crossed the road.

"Gweh man, true yuh nuh have no money," said Leonard under his breath.

Peak period

I asked him when he expected things to pick up.

"Well, Christmas week is really when tings start get hot. More time some man not even buy tree til Christmas eve, so we just haffi try get what we can until dat time," he said.

Leonard politely declined to say where he got the trees, and I decided it best not to push him on it.

A van slowed in front of us just then and Leonard ran over to the window and poked his head almost inside the vehicle. "Nice tree here fi yuh, boss!" he yelled to someone inside. I heard no response but the van slowly made its way into the shopping plaza next door and out of sight.

"Dem seh dem nuh ready yet, but dem will check mi next week," Leonard said to me upon his return. I nodded, even though I was pretty sure there had been no such response from the vehicle's occupants.

I asked Leonard what he did for a living during the other 11 months of the year. "Well, I do a likkle chef work more time," he said.

"Chef work?" said I.

"Yeah man, yuh know, like cook food and all these tings," Leonard said, looking proud.

"Mi work at a likkle cook shop pon Molynes Road but when tree time come around, mi tek leave and come help mi bredren dem sell tree," he said.

I asked him if selling trees was a more lucrative venture for him.

"Yeah, man. More money inna di tree ting. If mi coulda sell tree right round di year it woulda good. People buy tree even when tings tight. So it go mi fren. Wherever di hustling deh, we haffi find it," said Leonard.

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com