WESTON — In the New England state that grows the most Christmas trees, the Vermont Country Store offers a seeming galaxy of ornaments and add-ons, from floor-hugging skirts to ceiling-grazing stars.

“Evergreen trees are a universal symbol of the season,” the third generation of Orton family storekeepers writes on its website.

So why has the $100 million-a-year business seen a 2-foot-tall boxed alternative become a surprise bestseller?

“When things in the world seem a little chaotic, it brings back great memories and puts a smile on your face,” merchandising manager Julie Noyes said of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, which debuted six decades ago and has drawn new interest from people starting up or downsizing in a chilly economy.

When Charles Schulz introduced “Peanuts” 75 years ago, the late cartoonist didn’t envision the comic strip would lead to global syndication and a series of television specials, beginning with 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

In that show, the title character searches for the perfect Christmas tree, only to come home with a straggly sapling.

“Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?” his friend Linus asks. “Maybe it just needs a little love.”

And with the addition of a blanket around its base, the conifer is soon warming hearts.

Sixty years later, $21.95 official replicas can be found at Vermont Country Stores in Weston and Rockingham, in their mail-order catalog and on their website — and in customer homes from Connecticut to California.

“It’s precious, just precious,” Jill Charbonneau said in a call from the Rockport, Maine, home she and her husband, Paul, have shared for a half-century. “It’s so simple and says everything it’s supposed to say.”

She’s not alone in her appreciation. The tree has an average customer rating of 4.9 out of 5, according to its webpage, with nearly 100 rave reviews about its simple cost, scale and upkeep from people coast to coast.

Take the Illinois couple settling into their first home. The traveling nurse on the road. The Colorado widow living alone. The Florida shopper rebuilding after a hurricane. All agree with the comment from the North Carolina woman facing mobility issues: “This little tree is my solution.” 

“It’s neat to have an old memory right in front of ya,” a Texas man adds in his review. “Takes me back to a time when life seemed so easy.”

The Vermont Country Store, with 450 year-round workers, almost doubles its staff each December to maintain its retail shops, Manchester offices and Clarendon distribution center during the busy holiday season, Noyes says. But the merchandising manager won’t specify how many Charlie Brown Christmas Trees are sold.

“Lots,” she says. “Lots and lots.”

All embodying something small and simple.

“Less is more,” one California reviewer summed up the tree. “It is a little ray of hope.”

MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Earlier this month, ABC22/FOX44 reported that members of Vermont’s Air National Guard would be sent to the Caribbean to take part in Operation Southern Spear.

Legislators from all three major political parties in Vermont wrote Tuesday about resources available for the families of the members sent out in the field. They said that Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, had officially confirmed the mobilization Monday.

“The uncertainty of a deployment is a stressful time for families, especially during the holiday. We thank our Vermont Guard Members and their families for their service to Vermont and our country. During this time, we encourage Vermonters to check in on their friends and neighbors impacted by this deployment.”

The “central hub” for family support the Vermont National Guard Family Programs Office. Its support line, (888) 607-8773, is available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with more available at its website at ngfamily.vt.gov.

Families can ask at the support line to be connected with a local volunteer support group as well (include link).

There are also six regional centers across the state in Montpelier, White River Junction, Rutland, South Burlington, Jericho, and St. Albans. The National Guard describes these as “resource and referral experts” that can help families connect with any services they may need.

Information on these is available at their own webpage. https://www.ngfamily.vt.gov/Programs-Services/Military-and-Family-Readiness-Centers/

Other resources include:

The Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation: (802) 338-3076 or https://vtngcharitable.org/VTNGCF to apply.

Military OneSource, a federal referral program offered nationwide and 24/7: (800) 342-9647, www.militaryonesource.mil

Child and Youth Program Deployment Resources, with tools for children’s resilience during deployments: https://www.ngfamily.vt.gov/Resources/Youth-Deployment-Resources/

Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, events held mid-deployment for children and families: contact Staff Sgt. Jessica Smith at jessica.m.smith308.mil@army.mil

Vermont 211: https://vermont211.org/

ChildCare Aware: https://www.childcareaware.org/state/vermont/

Hunger Free Vermont: https://www.hungerfreevt.org/

I was a senior in high school when 9/11 happened. I will never forget where I was or how the day unfolded. I wasn’t yet 18, but my entire adult life would be shaped by that event. Soon after, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, and then Iraq. U.S. involvement in Afghanistan would last 21 years, and at one point Vermont would have the highest per-capita population of servicemembers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq in the nation.

Over the last three years as the Executive Director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, I’ve met countless veterans, former aid workers, lawyers, contractors, and others who worked in Afghanistan. U.S. efforts focused on everything from counterterrorism and the rule of law to education and agriculture.

During the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the U.S. evacuated an estimated 125,000 Afghan allies. That was only a fraction of those who had worked with the U.S. government over two decades. An estimated 145,000 Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) were left behind, along with countless wives and children. Many men evacuated in 2021 were told to leave their families behind with the promise of reunification within a year, yet separation continues.

The Vermont Afghan Alliance began in 2022 as a scrappy, GoFundMe-funded, volunteer-led effort to help newly arriving Afghans learn to drive and obtain a license. In Vermont, we all know that without a car, employment options shrink quickly. Today, Afghan allies live in more than a dozen towns—from St. Albans to Bennington and Rutland to Hartford—well beyond traditional resettlement hubs like Burlington.

In 2023, I joined the Alliance as an “interim” executive director to help grow and professionalize the organization. While I never worked in Afghanistan, I spent much of my twenties with the International Committee of the Red Cross, promoting U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and at Guantánamo. My brother served in Iraq, and like so many of my generation, my adult life has been shaped by the so-called “Global War on Terror.”

I felt a deep responsibility to a community that had risked so much in support of U.S. missions abroad. I also felt a strong sense of Vermont’s hospitality—that if you welcome someone into your home, at a minimum you provide food, shelter, and safety. Finally, as someone long concerned about our demographics, the truth is simple: we are not going to birth our way out of our workforce crisis. The solution lies in welcoming people—and their talents—from across the country and the world.

Since 2023, the Alliance, together with community partners, has welcomed and served an estimated 650 Afghan allies statewide with employment, driving lessons, housing assistance, immigration legal services, civic education, health programming, and more. We’ve partnered with dozens of employers across northern Vermont eager to hire Afghan allies and willing to make small workplace adjustments. Through our driving program alone, more than 60 individuals have passed the Vermont road test. From manufacturing to healthcare, education to commercial truck driving, Afghan allies are filling high-demand jobs, strengthening our rural economy, and enriching our communities.

A recent USCRI policy report found that Afghan allies nationwide have contributed an estimated $1.79 billion in local, state, and federal taxes, including contributions to Medicare and Social Security. Contrary to harmful rhetoric, Afghan allies are not a “drain” on the system—their contributions far outweigh the short-term support provided during resettlement.

A damaging narrative suggesting Afghan allies are “unvetted” or pose a security risk to this country is circulating from Washington. In reality, those fleeing the Taliban are among the most thoroughly vetted individuals in this country—they were screened during employment with the U.S. government, during immigration processing, and again with every status adjustment.

Afghan allies are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. At the Alliance, the majority of staff and board members are Afghan allies themselves—thoughtful, courageous, emerging leaders raised in an Afghanistan backed by the U.S. They understand, as deeply as we do, the hope and possibility that come with a free and democratic society. I’ve been inspired daily by what these young leaders have achieved for Vermont and the talents they’ve already contributed to our state.

I’ll soon step back from the Alliance to make space for new leadership and a new chapter for the organization. What began as an interim role became far more meaningful than I ever expected. As for what’s next, I hope to bring what I’ve learned back into state government, where I can have a broader impact as we continue to address our demographic crisis and the policies coming from Washington.

To the state and local leaders, community partners, and volunteers I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside over the last few years—thank you. I’m inspired and amazed by what we can accomplish when we pool our resources and talents around a common purpose. I’m excited for the Alliance’s next chapter and for all we can continue to achieve for our newest neighbors and Vermont.