The ghost stand of Christmas past: Holiday confusion as trees return to 2nd Avenue

The EVG inbox lit up this afternoon like a Christmas tree after multiple readers shared photos of the tree stand returning to Second Avenue outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.

This was the very spot that the Tree Riders had this past holiday season before they packed it up on Dec. 24.

Salim, who shared this photo below, notes that the trees appeared this afternoon, seemingly ready for sale, though no one was around to actually sell them. A ghost stand!



Meanwhile, Derek Berg spotted these workers delivering trees to a nearly locale in the Abe Lebewohl Triangle at 10th/Stuyvesant this afternoon ...





Apparently all this is prep work for holiday-related scenes tomorrow for "The Village," a new NBC series that has been filming around here in recent months.

Updated

I asked the Tree Riders via Facebook what was happening: "NBC liked our set up so much they asked us to come back after the holidays for a shoot!"


[Photo from last night]

This Christmas Day, time to think about mulching the tree in your living room

The city is not wasting any time spreading the word on its annual MulchFest... Steven spotted signs up today at the Ninth Street/Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park.

People can start bidding their trees fir-well* and dropping them off on Jan. 4 for the two-day MulchFest that will take place in Tompkins Square Park on Jan. 12-13.

Of course some people can't wait to discard their trees... this one was spotted this morning... inconspicuously hanging out by the benches in the Park...



Anyway, don't feel compelled to get rid of your tree at the city's urging. There's another 11 months or so left to enjoy their company.

* the fir-well line is courtesy of the Parks Dept.

Free tree times

If you were waiting to the last minute to pick up a Christmas tree ... then you're in luck. There are many trees for the taking curbside... as more people seem to be tossing their trees early this season before heading out for the holidays elsewhere...

You're gonna need a bigger bike

A scene today outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street where the Tree Riders NYC sell some of the largest Christmas trees around... thanks to @GMKevv for the photo ...

Another Year Without a Trailer Park Santa Claus on 14th Street, though there is a bear

EVG regular Pinch shares this top photo from the Christmas tree vendors on the northwest corner of 14th Street and First Avenue.

In what may be a first for this spot, there's an inflatable bear on the scene this year. (We need to check the EVG microfiche to be sure.)

And unlike previous years, the tree vendor does not have the Cousin Eddie-style camper parked on 14th Street (because of the new SBS lane?).



Also, the Santa inflatable is new and clean, unlike the grubby ol' St. Nick — Trailer Park Santa Claus to some — that had been greeting the corner in recent years...


[On loan from the EVG Permanent Collection]

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Year Without a Trailer Park Santa Claus

Grubby ol' St. Nick inflatable makes triumphant return to 14th Street after 2 (long) years

Another year without grubby ol' St. Nick on East 14th Street; what to tell the children?

New, improved inflatable Santa arrives on East 14th Street tree lot

Christmas tree yearbook photo

The trees arrived this holiday weekend at stands all around the neighborhood (like the usual places, 14th Street at First Avenue, Houston at Essex, Astor Place between Lafayette and Broadway, Second Avenue at Seventh Street, etc.) ...

The nice folks at Tree Riders NYC on Second Avenue at 10th Street outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery always have the tallest/largest ... with some reaching 18 feet...



And they have a 25 footer on the way... in case you have Cathedral-type ceilings or plan to decorate a lobby.

Nov. 21

Today seems like a good day to toss the Christmas tree from last Christmas... as tree vendors are setting up around the neighborhood, with the chance to buy a new one just hours away...

Thanks to EVG reader Bill Spector for sharing this from 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A 2ND MULCHFEST HAS BEEN ADDED BY OVERWHELMING POPULAR DEMAND

In case you missed last weekend's Mulchapalooza in Tompkins Square Park... the Parks Department is holding another one tomorrow and Sunday...

#MulchFest 2018 has been extended! You can drop off your🎄 for recycling at any of our 78 MulchFest locations through Sunday, January 14! Find a location near you at https://t.co/1vLwWlRGdw. pic.twitter.com/MBvamtZuTt

— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) January 8, 2018

However, please note that on-site chipping will not take place. Per the Parks Department website: "all holiday trees dropped off at MulchFest sites will still be recycled." (But how can it be a MulchFest without any actual mulching happening in the Park?)

Anyway! Goggla has photos AND video from last weekend's festivities...

Sunday's parting shot

Treecycle? Photo on Fourth Street today by Derek Berg...

Reminders: MulchFest is this weekend

#MulchFest is still on for this weekend! Bring your Christmas trees to a park near you to turn them into woodchips that will nourish trees and plants across NYC. Find #MulchFest locations at https://t.co/1vLwWlRGdw. ♻️🎄 pic.twitter.com/dAb4rr9ogd

— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) January 5, 2018

As previously noted, the city is holding its annual MulchFest/TreeCycle this weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tompkins Square Park is once again serving as a chipping location. Workers will chip your tree, and give you your very own bag of frozen mulch.

Find more details here.

Meanwhile, people have arrived at the site early...

RIP this tree

EVG reader Emily shared these photos of a tossed Christmas tree on Third Avenue at 13th Street with an RIP note...

Freed from
Unfortunate
Circumstances,
Kindly left the earth
Unforgettable tree

A bit of an FU...



Courtesy of Kira Sea...

Christmas trees lounge

You my now officially drag your [Christmas] trees (no home appliances please) to Tompkins Square Park, where workers have assembled the drop-off pen... which appears to have some sort of guard on duty...



Disguised as an ordinary outdoor snowman, this hidden camera with DVR provides motion activated recording of all activity (with 90-day standby battery).



The city is holding its annual MulchFest/TreeCycle on Jan. 6 and 7 (2018!) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tompkins Square Park is once again serving as a chipping location.

Photos yesterday by Steven.

Headline H/T!

So mulch for your tree: TreeCycling to happen Jan. 6-7

If you are one of those people who don't like to wait until October to toss your Christmas tree, then this info is for you.

The city is holding its annual MulchFest/TreeCycle on Jan. 6 and 7 (2018!) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tompkins Square Park is once again serving as a chipping location. Workers will chip your tree, and give you your very own bag of mulch for your protein pancakes.

The drop-off pen should be up in the Park for early discarding. Find more details here.

Santa Claus is back on 14th and 1st

The Christmas-tree-selling crew on 14th Street near First Avenue broke out the inflatable Santa this morning, as EVG regular Pinch notes ... and just in time for some picturesque snowfall photo opps, like this one...

This inflatable is a little more cheery than the previous models — Grubby ol' St. Nick, Trailer Park Santa Claus, Half-in-the-Bag Santa, etc. — on this corner.


[Who wore it better? Santa or Hercule Poirot?]

Friday's parting shot

Second Avenue this evening via Derek Berg...

The best Daddy Burger deal on Avenue A?

EVG reader Melissa shared this photo... tucked among the Christmas/holiday trees outside Bueno East Mart on Avenue A and Third Street is a box of greenery labeled "Daddy Burger $10 each."

I'm not up on Christmas/holiday decorating lingo, so... turns out Daddy Burger is a pretty popular swag (aka suspended wreath or garland)... anyway, just passing this along in case you want some Daddy Burger for your front door. $10 seems like a fair price.

Tall tall trees are here

The trees are arriving today outside the St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street... these 50 footers extra tall ones are out first... this stand is run by Tree Riders NYC, who also offer cargo-bike delivery service...

Updated 5:15 p.m.

EVG regular Lola Sāenz shared these photos... more trees on the scene...



...some smaller ones too...

Trailer Park Santa trailer has arrived on 14th Street

If you weren't already in the Christmas mood in September, then you will be now.

EVG reader KT noted the arrival yesterday of the trailer that will house the Christmas-tree-selling crew on 14th Street near First Avenue.

Can we expect to see grubby ol' St. Nick (Trailer Park Santa Claus to a few) soon?


[EVG photo from 2012]

May 7

On this first Sunday in May, someone decided that it might be a good day to toss the Christmas/holiday tree ... and did so on Avenue A and Sixth Street so that we can all enjoy it for a little longer.

Thank you to EVG reader Eli for the photo.

That's a wrap for this holiday/Christmas tree

Someone went to a good deal of work wrapping up a holiday/Christmas tree and discarding to in a city trashcan on Seventh Street and Avenue B...just a few hundred feet (or so!) from the mulching pens in Tompkins Square Park...



EVG reader Noah Shannon, who shared these photos, also unwrapped the tree and dragged it in the Park to join the others for treecycling...