business motivation

THANKSGIVING, THE CAROLINAS ALREADY FEEL CHRISTMASSY, ESPECIALLY AT ONE CHRISTMAS TREE FARM. OUR PEYTON FURTADO TAKES US TO HAYWOOD COUNTY AS STORM RECOVERY CONTINUES. WHEN HURRICANE HELENE HIT, IT DEVASTATED PARTS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. NOW, TWO MONTHS LATER TO THE DAY, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE COMING TOGETHER NOT JUST TO MAKE SURE THIS IS A MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUT TO MAKE SURE ITS A NORMAL ONE. WELCOME TO THE FARM. WERE GLAD TO HAVE YOU. THINGS ARE BRIGHT AND BUSY HERE AT BOYD MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, BUT WORKERS WORRY THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE. AN ADDED RESPONSIBILITY OF REALLY BEING ON THE HORN AND BEING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BEING ON THE INTERNET, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET HERE. NORTH CAROLINA IS THE SECOND BIGGEST CHRISTMAS TREE GROWER IN THE COUNTRY, AND HOME TO THE CADILLAC OF CHRISTMAS TREES. THE FRASER FIR. IT SMELLS LIKE THOSE CANDLES THIS TIME OF YEAR IS THE TREE FARMS SUPER BOWL. WHEN I STARTED HERE, WE DID 2500 TREES IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS, AND WE WERE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND NOW WERE OPEN ABOUT EIGHT DAYS. AND WE DO ABOUT 7000 TREES IN EIGHT DAYS. THE TREND HAS HELPED WITH FAMILIES MAKING MEMORIES. WHILE THE MARCEL HAS PICKED OUT THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE. TWO YEAR OLD RAVEN PICKED UP HER NEW OBSESSION STICKS. DAVID AND NIKKI SAY THEY WERE COMING HERE COME HOLIDAYS OR HIGH WATER ABOUT TO LOAD UP A BUNCH OF GAS CANS AND JUST MAKE MY WAY OUT HERE BECAUSE WE HAD NO IDEA THE SITUATION. YOU WANT TO GO GET THAT HOT COCOA? AND THEY WERENT THE ONLY ONES, SO ITS A GOOD PLACE FOR US TO COME UP AND GET A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AWAY FROM THE RAT RACE AND ENJOY SOME TIME TOGETHER. WE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS FROM YOUR AREA, ATLANTA, TENNESSEE, YOU KNOW, AND THEYRE STILL ABLE TO GET HERE EVEN THOUGH THE I-40 SHUT DOWN. LOOKING AT THE FARM NOW, YOU WOULDNT KNOW IT LOST IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT AND HUNDREDS OF TREES. THINGS ARE OPENING UP, THOUGH. YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR. NORMALCY IS IMPORTANT WHEN PEOPLE COME TO BOYD MOUNTAIN. CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, THEYRE THEYRE COMING TO GET A CHRISTMAS TREE. BUT THEYRE ALSO COMING TO HAYWOOD COUNTY. THEYRE GOING TO VISIT THE SHOPS. THEYRE GOING TO EAT IN OUR RESTAURANTS. IT AFFECTS EVERYBODY AS FAMILIES FILED OUT, FRAZIER FIRS STRAPPED TO THEIR ROOFS, MEMORIES WARM IN THEIR MINDS. RECOVERY CONTINUES AS HAYWOOD COUNTY AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA CLOSE IN ON THE MERRY NORMAL CHRISTMAS IT DESERVES. IN WAYNESVILLE, IM PEYTON