Wisconsin Christmas tree farmer selling trees in South Mississippi since 1979

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) – For more than 40 years, many South Mississippians have picked out the perfect Christmas tree that traveled nearly 2,000 miles to Ocean Springs.

Brian Redmond is the owner of Redmond’s Nursery in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Since 1979, he has driven seventeen hours south to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, bringing with him thousands of Christmas trees from his farm.

“All summer I work in the field and trim trees and mow around them, fertilize them. Then we start cutting in November, pack up everything, and come down here,” Redmond said. “I like doing it. It’s fun. And the people are so neat down here. A lot of times we’ll be sitting on the tree lot and all of a sudden someone shows up with a little pot of gumbo or something. It’s great. It’s not like selling in a big city.”

For many of his customers, friendly conversation and catching up is part of the tradition.

“This is our fourth year coming here,” said Ocean Springs resident Jeff Freeman. “The service is great, very good quality trees. The kids love it. We always see some familiar faces up here. We come and get the tree done in about ten minutes and then we hang out for another 15 or 20 minutes.”

Redmond prides himself on having a variety of trees available, so that no matter the taste in trees, there is something for everyone.

“A Christmas tree is a personal thing and everybody has a different thought about what’s a good tree,” Redmond explained. “The worst thing you can do is have a whole lot full of the same shape and size of a tree.”

Through the many years that Redmond has brought trees to South Mississippi, he has made many memories. One that will always be with him is Christmas 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Instead of a trailer full of trees, Redmond and the community of Tomahawk loaded the trailer with supplies to help his customers through that rough time.

“We knew all of these people. Good customers, friends, all of that. It was devastating. And it was emotional,” Redmond recalled. “It was a hard time.”

He told WLOX News, he could not imagine selling trees anywhere else in the country, and it is all because of that Southern Hospitality.

“It feels like a home away from home. This is my Christmas. I like it.”

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