Segale Bros. Christmas Trees

“Selling Christmas Trees with Pedigrees Since 1937!

A scene of construction or landscaping with people working around a dump truck and a yellow bulldozer on a large dirt area, with a car in the foreground and buildings in the background.
Three people carrying a large tree on a dolly across a city street. The background features trees, a building with reflective windows, and parked cars.
A wood stand selling firewood and Christmas trees at an outdoor market, with large stacks of cut wood and a sign with prices, under a blue sky with trees in the background.
Three elderly men in front of a booth with Christmas trees, wearing red caps and red jackets, one holding a bowl, at an outdoor holiday event.
Three men standing in front of a small food stand with a sign reading 'Segale Bros' and 'Since 1937'. The men are smiling and wearing hats, with one wearing an apron. The stand is outdoors with a fence and a sign for 'Bank of Stockton' visible in the background. The date on the photo is December 6, 1995.
A white semi-truck carrying fresh christmas trees parked at segale christmas tree lot. Several people are near a white and blue striped tent in the background, with other cars parked around.
A man standing outdoors next to a sign for fresh cut christmas trees
A woman sitting inside a small, white booth in a parking lot, selling fresh cut christmas trees and on a cold day. There are Christmas trees beside the booth and parked cars in the background.

Our Story

In the midst of the depression, brothers Paul and George “Buck” Segale established the first Christmas tree business. At that time, more and more families were moving to larger cities, leaving their rural land. To provide for their families, the brothers decided that there was an opportunity to sell Christmas trees to city residents. 

Their plan was audacious - cut Christmas trees at their ranch near Murphys,  California, load the trees onto two train cars, pack the trees in snow to keep them fresh, and one brother boarded the load bound for where they would be sold…right off the rail cars. Upon reaching their destinations, each brother sold the trees right off the train.

Fast forward to 1959, Paul’s son Wayne was newly married and needed to replace a broken washing machine.  He talked his dad and uncle into selling trees in Stockton so he could earn enough money to purchase a new washing machine.  They established a Christmas tree lot in Lincoln Village, becoming a family affair with the brothers’ sons, Wayne and George, taking over the business.

In 2000, local Linden farmer, Randy Hamilton, purchased George’s share of the business. In 2008, Randy expanded the Segale Bros. tree lot to Lodi. In keeping the family tradition, Randy’s daughter, Mallory Kelley, joined the tree lot in 2022. This is the sole remaining tree lot bearing the Segale Bros. name.  We are proudly carrying on the Segale Bros. tradition of high-quality, fresh-cut trees backed by outstanding service.

Some Colorful Background

  • In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the world was a simpler place.  To acquire labor to head to the high Sierras and cut trees in the snow, Paul Segale made a deal with the Calaveras County Sherrif to release any inhabitants (think of the character, Otis Campbell, of the Andy Griffith Show) of the County Jail to Paul where he would put them to work on the ranch.  They would join a few of Paul and Buck’s cowboys who were tough as nails. Cutting trees in the wild is one of the toughest jobs imaginable.  It requires trudging through wet snow,  climbing trees to “top off” the tree with the end result being a perfectly shaped tree ranging from 4’ to 6’ feet in height, and loading the wet trees on trucks.   By the time harvest was over, the County work crew was more than happy to return to the confines of the County Jail.

  • In the 1980s, Segale Bros. had the opportunity to buy the runner-up tree for the National Christmas Tree that stood in the White House.  That tree, an 18-foot Noble Fir, was donated to the Haggin Museum in Stockton for the entire community to enjoy.

  • The first day of Christmas tree season has always been the Friday after Thanksgiving.  As both homes and Christmas trees became bigger, there has been a buying frenzy to secure the largest and most beautiful trees.  Some consumers would arrive at the lot on Friday before the tree crew arrived to have first crack at the trees.

  • Likewise, the arrival of new trees would often resemble a Black Friday sale and still does.  People would mill around waiting for the trees to begin being unloaded.  The trees were bound tight to protect branches during transport.  But the need was so great, many people would buy trees simply on height without the twine being cut and the trees open to view. 

  • Four generations of Segales worked at the Segale Bros. Christmas tree lot and at least five generations of customers have made a trip to Segale Bros. a part of their holiday tradition.  

Past Media Coverage

“Segale Brothers hopes new Christmas tree lot will be Lodi tradition”

A man in a gray shirt and baseball cap standing next to a tall fresh cut christmas tree, inspecting or reaching towards the branches on a clear day.
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“Stockton's Oldest Christmas Tree Lot Opens”

News reporter with a microphone interviewing a man in a red shirt and cap outdoors, with a shopping cart filled with bricks nearby, during a live broadcast for KCRA in Stockton.
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Elderly man with glasses and a hat inspects christmas tree outdoors.

“FIR THE LOVE OF IT”

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People planting a large Christmas tree outdoors during daytime.
A smiling older woman with glasses and a tan jacket writing with a pen, seen through a window or opening, with holiday decorations and people in the background.
A vintage photo showing three women with gray hair walking in christmas tree lot, with a few people and a dog sitting on benches, a large tree, and a fence separating the garden from a road with several cars, farm fields, and a distant horizon.
Three men wearing red hats and jackets standing together outdoors at a Christmas tree lot with other people and Christmas trees in the background. One man is holding a bowl of food and smiling.
Two men standing outdoors among Christmas trees, with a decorative large butterfly sculpture mounted on a pole behind them. In the background, there is a building with a sign that reads "Liquor Barn." The scene appears to be at a Christmas tree farm or market during the daytime.
A man wearing glasses, a red cap, a plaid shirt, and a beige vest stands in front of Christmas trees in a greenhouse or Christmas tree lot, with one hand touching a tree. The timestamp on the photo reads November 1993.
An outside scene showing a construction site, a street with parked and moving cars, some trees, and a small caravan in the foreground, with a makeshift booth or trailer near the trees.
People working on a construction site, loading and moving items with a yellow bulldozer and a trailer, with a classic light blue car parked nearby and a building in the background.
Three men are walking beside a large, lush Christmas tree on a city street. One man is wearing a red sweater and green cap, another is in a plaid shirt with a white cap, and the third is in a jacket. They appear to be preparing to load the Christmas tree onto a cart.
Five people standing outdoors in front of greenery, some wearing Cubs hats, with a sign that reads 'SEGALE BROS STAY FRESH. SALT KEEP REFRIGERATED.'