Robins family donates tree for annual Cedar Rapids Christmas display

As snow blanketed the city Monday morning, the hum of a saw could be heard coming from a Robins neighborhood.

The Postma family, who live in Robins, were selected to donate their blue spruce tree for Cedar Rapids’ annual Christmas tree display and lighting ceremony at Greene Square in downtown.

Standing at about 25 feet tall, the tree was cut and transported downtown Monday morning.

Brittany Postma, 23, initially got the idea to donate their tree to the city last summer. She was inspired by a friend whose family donated their tree a few years ago.

This fall, Postma contacted the city to ask about putting their tree in the running. After going through the selection process, the Postmas found out their blue spruce had been selected.

She said watching it come down Monday was bittersweet, but she’s looking forward to it being enjoyed by the whole city.

“I'm excited to experience [the tree lighting] with my family and then also see other families see the tree that was in our backyard not too long ago,” she said.

The annual tree lighting will be this Saturday. As is tradition, the Postmas — Brittany, her mother, Megan Postma, 46, and her stepfather, Micah McDermed — will be the ones to turn on the lights for the first time.

Megan Postma said their family was planning to remove the tree — possibly to put a pool in their backyard — so she’s happy it will have a second life.

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“If we are going to cut down the tree anyways, I would like to see it go to good use,” Megan Postma said. “Having it be the tree of Cedar Rapids is just awesome.”

Todd Fagan, Cedar Rapids’ city arborist, has been working for the city for 14 years. He said this tradition began long before he started on the job.

Fagan said the city typically considers half a dozen trees for the donation, and the others are listed as “backups.” The Postmas’ tree was selected because it is taller than the other trees being considered and because it has a “better, fuller” shape to it,“ Fagan said.

The Postmas’ tree also had “priority,” Fagan said, because the family planned to remove it regardless of whether it was chosen by the city.

Cedar Rapids’ Christmas tree donations typically come from Cedar Rapids homes, but the Postmas’ tree was the strongest candidate this year.

McDermed said the family’s tree required a little extra care while it was being moved Monday. The tree has two trunks, and he said the city planned to “bind the two trunks together.”

“They said they were going to take wire and bind the two trunks together to make it one trunk,” he said.

While the city used to issue news releases calling on property owners to donate a tree for the display, Fagan said in recent years families and homeowners have taken the initiative of calling the city to ask about donating a tree.

The tree cutting is a collective win, he said, as the city gets a Christmas tree and the family can have their tree removed for free.

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Fagan said the city enlists help from Coonrod Wrecker & Crane Services to lift and transport the tree to Greene Square for free.

Brittany Postma said she encourages other families to donate their trees for future displays.

“For anyone interested, just to get a hold of the Cedar Rapids arborist early,” she said. “The earlier, the better because they're always going to keep the tree on the list if it looks good from the pictures.”

To learn more information about donating a tree for next year’s lighting, email forestry@cedar-rapids.org.

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; olivia.cohen@thegazette.com