Pitched between palm trees and winter classics playing overhead, Frosty's sits at the intersection on Coffee and Brimhall roads. Lot workers in T-shirts and jeans sell Christmas by the foot, all while earning a farmer’s tan and some extra holiday cash.

“I enjoy it here — it’s good work,” said AJ Miller, a worker and sophomore at Cal State Bakersfield. “It goes quick, you get to meet people, it’s just fun and you smell good afterwards.”

Miller is one of the workers who comes out every year to help out. Workers handle a variety of lay tasks, from sawing tree stems to selling any customer the perfect fir.

“It’s a lot of fun helping people pick out a tree — it’s just cool, man,” he added.

At Frosty's, Christmas comes in four types: Nobles, Grands, Douglas and Nordmann. All of them come from a farm in Estacada, Ore., 800 miles — a roughly 13-hour drive — to the north.

Their farm is one of 1,400 in Oregon, which by far bears the title of largest seller of Christmas trees in the country. Ninety-two percent of Oregonian Christmas trees are shipped outside the state.

The trees are cut and trucked down in closed trailers in the week leading up to Black Friday, their first day of business. By 11 a.m., the lot had sold about 40 trees — about average, according to one of the cashiers.

“Since we’re a small family farm, we’re able to cut, load and bring them down here whereas other places who don’t control their harvest start cutting them in October," Olson said.

The most popular trees at Frosty's, Olson said, are noble, and stand at about 7 to 9 feet.

“Every year, that’s the main seller,” Miller said.

Olson and others, with their gaggle of children, cart freshly cut evergreens down the wind-whipped drive that exits the lot and onto waiting cars.

“There’s a lot of people that like to get their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving — it’s tradition,” Olson said.

Olson’s crew is a modest size of 10, mostly made up of longtime friends and associates who have helped run the lot for years.

Many of the staff are linked to Olson through the Bakersfield Fire Department, where he's been a long-time fireman.

“I’ve known Mike for a long, long time just because he's worked with my dad, who's also a part of the Bakersfield Fire Department,” said Caleb Ward, who’s in his fourth year working at the lot.

Like the rest of regular staff, Ward makes minimum wage plus tips. He helps out with this seasonal work while attending the firefighter academy at Bakersfield College.

“The cash is nice for sure but I do appreciate everything else that goes on out here — it’s great making people happy," Ward said.

While the basics of a good tree — fullness, width and height — are paramount in a sale, Ward said selling a tree is dependent on good commentary with people and finding the tree that works best for them.

“I’ll get personable with them and then ask, ‘well, what’s your home look like?’” Ward said. “People that come out here — they’re looking for their money’s worth. Just make sure it’s the perfect tree for them.”

Some say it’s all about the smell. “I just like the way the tree smells,” said Andrew Wilson, a customer at the lot.

“We actually make fun of people with plastic trees,” his wife added, laughing.

In the age-old debate between real and plastic, Ward stands firmly behind the prior. “But my girlfriend has one, and I disapprove highly,” he said. “It’s too nice out here to waste time on a fake tree when you could just come out here and have one ready for ya.”

Sentiments like these have kept employed the hundreds of Christmas tree growers in Oregon, Washington and North Carolina and buck the national trend that in past decades saw artificial trees erode the business.

“I get a lot of people out here that are like, ‘I’ve been thinking about buying a fake tree,’ and my first thing is to say they can’t do that,” Ward said. “You’re missing out on all this fun coming out here with the kids and picking a tree.”

But selling the perfect tree, at least for some growers nationwide, has grown increasingly difficult. Last year, issues ranging from supply-chain to labor shortages projected problems for growers not being able to meet demand.

“While there may be enough trees for everyone who wants one, the options may be more limited,” said Jami Warner, executive director of American Christmas Tree Association. “Our 2022 recommendation to consumers is straightforward: If you want a specific type, style, or size of tree, artificial or live, find it early.”

Olson acknowledges that the shortage has made an impact on the industry as a whole. But he’s optimistic that his farm, largely unaffected, will continue to accommodate this year just as it has in the past. Last year they sold out by Dec. 20, and expect the same this year, if not earlier.

“There was definitely a shortage of trees last year, industrywide, and that’s kind of been the trend the past few years,” Olson said. “But we should be able to meet our demand. We always get our trees and have our supply.”