Can a Christmas Tree Save Your Life?

Last weekend, the volunteers from Oceanport's First Aid Squad kicked off their annual Christmas tree sale. They just needed to build some more tree stands to replace those that floated away.

First Lt. Maggie Lippolis acknowleges that the post-Sandy days might not make for the best tree sales they have ever seen.

"We feel awful for our citizens who have lost so much," she said, "Who's thinking about Christmas trees now?" But she added, "If you have children and you are keeping up a facade" to help them through, a little Christmas greenery might do the trick.

Squad President Chris Petrillo said he expected the tree shipment to arrive Saturday, along with grave blankets and wreaths.

You can expect the prices at the sale to be higher than home improvement stores, said Capt. Carl Ceralde. That's because the squad uses the proceeds for the upkeep of its building, mortgage, insurance, maintenance contracts, monthly utilities and supplies for its trucks.

"You can find a cheaper tree at Home Depot or Lowes," Ceralde said, "But Home Depot will not come to your house when you're having a heart attack."

Stay tuned for more details about the squad's annual holiday bazaar. The squad will host a scaled back version of the fundraiser on Dec. 8.