On Nov. 27, Jessica Shepard and Tom “TJ” Paul Jr., along with their son, Bradley, finally reached Islamorada for their working vacation to run their annual Christmas tree stand. They had a semi-truck full of hundreds of trees from the family’s large nursery business in Michigan, and they had driven straight for 28 hours, with only brief breaks at gas stations.
Upon arriving at the small plot of land next to the Trading Post market to set up shop, they realized that they were in over their heads.
A longtime employee who usually constructed the stand couldn’t make the trip from Michigan this year, and while Jessica and TJ were getting out their equipment, they suddenly grasped that they didn’t know how to rig the lights and connect the tent poles. Also, their chainsaw broke. Meanwhile, customers were quickly coming to buy their trees. No sooner had the family lugged out a few of the heavy trees — some of which were 16 feet tall — than they were sold, all the while still building their stand.
“We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off,” said Jessica.
During that hectic first day, a couple arrived. They wanted to buy a Christmas tree, but, realizing that the family was in the weeds, patiently sat by on the sidelines and waited. Eventually, they asked, “Hey, you need some help?”
“We were like, ‘It’s okay.’ And they stayed and said, ‘Are you sure?’ my son said, ‘Why’d you say no?’” recalled Jessica with a laugh. “But then they asked again, and we were like, ‘We probably could use help.’”
So the couple returned the very next morning at 6 a.m. to help, bringing a chainsaw and a drill.
“That was their Saturday,” Jessica said, with awe. “It ended up being much more challenging than we thought. They stayed and helped us sell the trees. It was so extremely stressful that day —-30 or 40 people at a time buying trees. Having them help us, it was … I don’t know how we could have done that without them.”
And the couple weren’t the only ones who saved the day. Many locals swung by the stand and not only bought trees but also made sure that Jessica, TJ, and Bradley were being taken care of.
“People have come by to offer us food, water, drinks. … People that we’ve never met before. I didn’t even know their last name,” said Jessica. “The realtor next to the lot, he helped too .… One person stopped by, and he joked, ‘You guys are so busy, can I get you anything to drink?’ I jokingly said, ‘You got any booze? I’d love a black cherry White Claw.’ He came back with black cherry High Noons. I was like, ‘Bless you guys.’ They came back and got a tree.”
The Keys community, Good Samaritans all, helped save the Christmas tree stand and get it up and running like clockwork. In fact, when Keys Weekly magazine first approached TJ to write a profile about his annual stand, he demurred and said, “You should really write about how everyone has helped us.”
Jessica agreed. “The people in this community are just great, very friendly and helpful. We’re so grateful.”
When Keys Weekly reached out to that couple who selflessly devoted their Saturday to help the family, they insisted that their names not be used in this article.
“That’s not why we did it,” the woman said. “Each year, I pray over Thanksgiving to be shown who we could help this year. My husband and I saw them struggling, and it was clear we were supposed to help them. That’s what we’re here to do. We’re supposed to help each other. And Keys neighbors have helped us many, many times over the years. We’re giving back.”
And another thing: Jessica and TJ were shocked at how quickly their trees sold out this year. “Usually, it’s three to four weeks. One week is unheard of,” she said.
“Maybe it’s because of COVID. People need a return to normal,” suggested TJ.
TJ’s father, Tom Paul, started the Christmas tree stand next to the Trading Post market in 1980. “This is a tradition,” said “Dan,” an employee at the Trading Post. “Betsy [Jacocks, owner of the Trading Post] was getting phone calls left and right and had to post a sign, ‘The Christmas tree stand is coming.’ These guys are awesome.”
“People who buy from us say, ‘We’ve been getting our trees here for 40 years,’” Jessica said.
Tom Paul passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack about four years ago. But the loss of their patriarch and the backbreaking work didn’t deter the family from returning to Islamorada. They didn’t even hesitate.
“It’s who we are. We’ve been coming here since high school,” said Jessica.
“And we get to hang out with the people. It’s so nice to see everybody,” added TJ.
“And the weather. In Michigan, it’s 30 degrees and windy,” she said, pulling out her cell phone to show a picture of their land, currently covered in snow. “It’s the wind chill that does it.”
With their inventory completely sold out, the family closed their stand unexpectedly early, on Dec. 5. Will they return next year? They aren’t sure. TJ explained that there is a nationwide shortage in Christmas trees. “
We like doing it, and hopefully we can do it in the future,” he said.
One thing is for certain. The Christmas tree stand and the family who runs it provided a valuable service in 2020. The Good Samaritan — who shall forever remain nameless — said, “Jessica, TJ, and their son Bradley brought hope to our community this year.”
