View the San Francisco for Sunday, December 8, 2024
Even longtime San Franciscans who have bought Christmas trees for decades from the beloved institution that is the Guardsmen lot at Fort Mason may find these numbers surprising: 300 volunteers, 7,000 trees to sell and 30,000 people enjoying festivities at the lot every holiday season, starting each opening morning when the first shipments of noble firs and silver tips from the Pacific Northwest arrive via semitruck.
“The day after Thanksgiving, we get three truckloads at 7 a.m.,” group President Matt Keipper said. “Guardsmen wake up, we’re down there, unloading and setting up.” The buzz of coordinated activity shows all the signs of an expertly run business. But The Guardsmen, of course, isn’t a business — it’s an all-volunteer group, and its three pillars are fun, fellowship and fundraising. While it runs fundraisers throughout the year, including a benefit concert/chili cookoff and a wine auction, the tree lot is its largest one, bringing in approximately $400,000. All proceeds from tree sales support two programs for local at-risk youth. It partners with about 16 summer camps — including Camp Mendocino, a program of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco — to send 3,000 kids to experience nature and outdoor activities they might not otherwise have access to, and it provides private-school scholarships for more than 250 Bay Area students from kindergarten through high school.“The tree lot is a place where families and friends can have fun, appreciate time together, celebrate the holidays and give back to the community that has given so much to us,” says Guardsmen Chief of Staff Michael Sullivan.The organization was founded in 1947 by a group of San Francisco professional men looking for a way to help young people in need. Guardsmen generally join in their late 20s or early 30s. All regular members commit to working four shifts at the tree lot. Members age out at 40 but can come back as senior members to volunteer ad hoc. Rich Guggenhime and Bill Poland are both senior members. The late Donald Fisher was a Guardsman in the 1960s, about a decade before he founded The Gap. Former National Football League tight end Dwayne Allen is a regular member, and sports-radio commentator Damon Bruce is now a senior Guardsman. What is it they do at the tree lot? A multitude of tasks, some requiring muscles and brawn, others not. “I love deliveries,” said Guardsmen immediate past President Jack Herr. “We’ll rent four or five vans. Every morning we send out eight to 10 guys, two per vehicle, to deliver trees around San Francisco. There’s a team behind the scenes that optimizes the routes. It’s just a ton of fun, in my opinion, to bring holiday cheer into someone’s home and go as an ambassador of The Guardsmen. A lot of people don’t know about us, so it’s cool to be able to tell our story.”Others prefer to wield the chainsaws or tie trees atop customers’ cars. There’s a rotating cooking crew behind the scenes to keep the volunteers fortified for their work. The organization owns a meat smoker, and some of the men bring in fish they’ve caught, as Guardsmen take their cooking seriously. How seriously? Well, there’s a golden spatula award presented at an annual Christmas luncheon at the Fairmont San Francisco. “We’re a competitive group,” Keipper said. “The guys who like to cook like to know they cooked the best meal. We’ll send out a voting ballot: ‘Select your top three meals you had at tree lot.’ And we’ll award the golden spatula.”A subset of senior members referred to as “the special forces” are expert at hauling and tying trees and can be counted on during particularly busy times, such as the first two Saturdays in December. The special forces are deployed each year to deliver six to 10 trees to Danielle Steel‘s house. The maneuvers require a bit of acrobatics with rigging and pulleys and fire escapes. The energy at the tree lot is unique — when you’re there, you aren’t just one of a random group of shoppers out on a holiday errand.In his formidable role as “tree czar” overseeing the monthlong season, Welsh coordinates with two dozen vendors and manages other volunteers. These loyal volunteers include not only fellow Guardsmen but members of the Junior League of San Francisco, as well as high-school students from partner schools whose chores include sweeping up needles to keep the place looking good. The place always looks good.Welsh, who served in the Marine Corps, said he first volunteered at the tree lot with a Guardsmen friend during a brief trip back to San Francisco shortly before finishing his MBA at Arizona State University in 2018. He recalls making a delivery to an elderly woman who lived alone in the Sunset District. “We delivered her tree, set it up for her,” he said. “She said she had been buying trees from The Guardsmen since 1967. Her late husband was a Guardsman way back when, and her son was a Guardsman in the ’90s. We have people from all over the community come together. That’s easily my favorite part of the event. I get to meet people from all over the Bay Area, and we all get to participate in something together that benefits the less fortunate.”Marina resident Ashley Barrett, who was visiting with her family, said the Guardsmen tree lot is “an outing we all look forward to, with mulled wine upon entry, tons of activities for kids and a plethora of gorgeous trees of all sizes.” It’s possible to find a noble fir up to 18 feet tall, or “Charlie Browns,” as they’re called, from two to four feet. During the holiday season, there’s always a Guardsmen tree in the Pacific Heights home of Eleanor Brigham Wehlen and her husband, Thomas. Her late father was a Guardsman, she said, and she has childhood memories of the tree lot. “One time I was approached by an assistant to Tony Bennett, who needed a photo with a kid,” she said. “I did it ... but I was bummed because it meant a break from playing tag with my brothers in the trees.” “You couldn’t be in a bad mood shopping for a Christmas tree,” said senior Guardsman Richard Hudak, explaining why so many people have fond multigenerational memories of the Guardsmen lot, where running into old friends is part of the experience and spending a few hours is not uncommon. Hudak said he first volunteered at the lot in 1975. Back then, taking time off his regular job as an attorney meant swapping his suit, tie and briefcase for jeans, boots, flannel shirt and a day of “doing some hard work, and breathing fresh, pine-scented air. Waiting on customers was the most rewarding part,” he said. Former 49ers wide receiver Gene Washington was among those Hudak said he waited on. So, too, was the late Steve Silver, creator of “Beach Blanket Babylon,” who did a bit of comedy patter as he perused, and the late Carol Doda, famed San Francisco dancer, who was always “driven in by a chauffeured limousine,” Hudak said. “We loaded her tree in the trunk.” In recent years, Hudak said, he’s been impressed by the expansion of the lot’s holiday merchandise, bar and cafe areas, which facilitate the social aspect. Among the parties held at the tree lot is an annual crab feed, a traditional sit-down San Francisco feast of pasta and crab. The season reaches a crescendo at the closing-night party, when 3,000–4,000 attendees dance to live music and Guardsmen serve as volunteer bartenders. The party has been dubbed “the Marina prom,” complete with Fort Point beer and Tito’s vodka cocktails. “My friends and I have been going to the tree lot party for the past couple of years and have always had a great time,” said Anna Reardon, who works in digital marketing. “Just like SantaCon, it’s become a part of our annual SF holiday celebrations.” After tree sales end in mid-December, there is a giveaway distribution of unsold trees to neighborhoods including Bayview–Hunters Point. This project was launched eight years ago at the instigation of Guardsman Derick Brown and has since become a coordinated effort among multiple foundations and city departments. In his professional life, Brown is senior director at the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco. He said his first experience with The Guardsmen was not on the giving but the receiving end of the organization’s philanthropy. Brown said he was raised by a single mother in public housing in the Western Addition. As a boy, he was the grateful recipient of a Guardsmen-funded campership in Mendocino County for seven summers starting in the late ’80s. He said his memories of his first outdoor experiences — which include seeing a horse for the first time — remain vivid. “That blew my mind, seeing how big a horse was,” Brown said. “I was a little guy. Being able to ride it was game-changing for me. Sleeping under the stars with a bunch of new friends, telling scary stories ... that was extraordinary.” Over subsequent summer sessions he also began learning leadership skills, he said, which he started using after high school when he joined the staff of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.Holiday tea time in the Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. The holidays in San Francisco have much more to offer children and families than just photo shoots with Santa Claus. The Examiner compiled a shortlist of traditional and unique kid-friendly activities throughout December that will surely get young people — along with their parents and guardians — into the spirit of the season.: Every December, the city-owned facility at 199 Museum Way hosts a day of seasonal crafting activities fit for the whole family. Museum experts will show guests how to make gifts and decorations for winter festivities such as sculptures, laser-cut ornaments, test-tube propagation vases, handmade holiday cards and more.Every December, the city-owned Randall Museum at 199 Museum Way hosts a day of seasonal crafting activities fit for the whole family.: Baby camels and yaks will take up temporary residence in the California Academy of Science’s east garden throughout December and into the New Year as part of the museum’s ‘Tis the Season for Science event. See a pair of baby camels through Dec. 19 and baby yaks from Dec. 20 through Jan. 5, while learning about the visiting animals’ habitats and preferred cuisine from museum staff. The museum will also host kid-friendly music, dance and magic performances, cookie-decorating activities, and seasonal photo opportunities throughout the month. Be sure to stop by the snow machine on the piazza, which emits nonallergenic, nontoxic and nonstaining snow flurries every two hours.A magician performs at the welcome-night event of the California Academy of Sciences’ ’Tis the Season for Science, which runs through Jan. 5.— and through Dec. 28, families can book reservations to sip steaming pots of fine loose-leaf tea over house-made scones and fruit-topped pastries. Tickets run $80-$199.41 per person. You can elevate the experience by booking an afternoon slot inside Fairmont San Francisco’s life-sized gingerbread house for up to eight guests at a time for $102.92-$202.09 per person. The Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square also offers afternoon tea slots on Dec. 14 and 15 only, with a twist: Young guests are invited to bring dollies and toys forevents, in which adults can enjoy a full tea service and champagne while children are served hot chocolate, sweet treats and assorted tea sandwiches to share with their best inanimate friends. Tickets are $129.06 per person.See San Francisco’s oldest Christmas tree in Golden Gate Park: The Recreation and Park Department kicked off the holiday season Thursday with its annual tree-lighting event in Golden Gate Park. Affectionately called “Norton” or “Uncle John’s tree” — the latter moniker in honor of Golden Gate Park’s designer and first superintendent John McLaren — the 135-year old Monterey cypress in front of McLaren Lodge was once again adorned with. According to Rec and Park officials, McLaren had the tree lit for the holidays as a gift to The City’s residents who were enduring the scarcities of the Great Depression. Norton will be lit through the month, and nearby is the Solar Arch, Golden Gate Park’s newest public art installation, by Illuminate. The 26-foot-wide, 13-foot-talltowers over a handful of patio chairs and is a great spot to wrap up an evening stroll in the park.: The San Francisco Ballet opened its 2024-25 season with “Nutcracker,” set in The City and honoring the company’s legacy as the first in the U.S. to present a full-length production of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic.on Dec. 29 in collaboration with the Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area. The Ballet’s familiar “Nutcracker” will be performed by principal dancers for audience members with autism, sensory disorders and sensitivities, or other physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities. The performance takes place in a relaxed and shush-free setting that is appropriate for all ages, and designated quiet areas will be available for guests. Theater lights will remain at a low level for the entirety of the performance and guests are invited to bring their own sensory tools, including fidget objects, noise-reducing headphones and soft toys.San Francisco Ballet performs Helgi Tomasson’s production of “Nutcracker” in 2019. A sensory-friendly show is set for Dec. 29 at the War Memorial Opera House.: One of The City’s tallest menorahs will be lit at sundown on Dec. 25, the first night of Hanukkah, at Pier 39. Each of the copper-sculpted menorah’s nine branches will be illuminated over the eight days of the holiday in the entrance plaza, with insets of colored glass symbolizing the menorah’s traditional flames. The event is free and open to all ages.The reindeer Peppermint and Gingersnap, pictured in the California Academy of Sciences’ east garden on Nov. 22, 2024, are no longer calling San Francisco home. A pair of baby camels are taking up residence in their place through Dec. 19, while two baby yaks will follow from Dec. 20 through Jan. 5.said goodbye Friday to two furry friends just two weeks after they arrived in The City, as the baby reindeer give way to another pair of infant animals. “Their schedule was arranged so that they could have a visit with us, but then go back to the farm,” said Adrian Van Allen, the senior exhibit-content developer at the museum. “And they have other rendezvous that they need to attend.” The departure of 7-month-old boys Peppermint and Gingersnap — named by museum guests in a special contest prior to the pair’s Nov. 22 arrival — is part of the museum’s ’“The camels are extra special,” Van Allen said. “Nutmeg is a 6-month-old female, and she has blue eyes and a very unusual two-tone coat. ... Cardamom is an 11-month-old male with a dark coat and brown eyes.” Nutmeg and Cardamom will take up residence at the Academy of Sciences through Dec. 19. A day later, a pair of yaks will begin their stay, which ends Jan. 5. The museum will also have live music performances, educational workshops about winter climates, and actual snow flurries in the piazza twice every hour.‘Tis the Season for Science at the California Academy of Sciences runs through Jan. 5 and includes educational workshops, among other family-friendly activities. While the museum has brought in reindeer for previous winter programming, Van Allen said it was particularly lucky this time: Windswept Ranch, the Rosamond farm with which the institution works, had a few sets of babies born this past year. “Our mission is really about trying to get people to feel a connection to nature, to realize that they are a part of nature, not apart from it,” she said. “These baby animals just give us that wonderful, amazing moment to connect and to change hearts and minds through those adorable, fluffy little babies.” While Van Allen said she doesn’t have exact numbers yet, she said she has anecdotally noticed admissions at the museum — particularly of families with young children — have increased with the presence of the temporary visitors. Van Allen said she hopes people take away both the cuteness of the animals’ appearances and the science behind them. “It’s an amazing opportunity for people to get a firsthand interaction with these animals that have each developed an amazing adaptation to withstand the cold,” she said. “Most people understand the reindeer live up in the Arctic north.” But, she said, people might not know that camels also grow fur to keep them warm during cold desert nights, and yak calves have shaggy coats for high Himalayan mountains.continues to alter and reduce habitats, it’s important for people to really understand how it’s impacting these species and others,” she said. It’s not just the museum guests who are gaining from the experience, Van Allen said. Her new favorite fact is that camels have two layers of eyelashes to protect their eyes from the desert sand. There have been plenty of opportunities for fun, too. While guests were able to vote on the reindeer names, staff at the museum chose the names for the camels and the yaks. The male and female yak babies — aged 6 months and 4 months, respectively — have been dubbed Hugh Yakman and Reba YakEntire.Above: It’s merry and bright inside the Vault Garden’s winter wonderland. Left: Savor an Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve at Penny Roma.Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print. You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it. When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue.This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely!Create a password that only you will remember. 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