We didn’t set out to grow Christmas trees. Christchurch Christmas Trees began as Tothill’s Mazes. We purchased 10.8 hectares in 2009 and ran it joyously for several years. However, only two weeks after buying the land NZTA notified us it was earmarked for the Southern Motorway. We were devastated, so while the maze thrived for several seasons the compulsory purchase remained in the background. With a drawn-out settlement negotiation we eventually had to close, and after many years of waiting we were offered replacement parcels of land along the highway corridor. One block was a small, odd-shaped triangle. Too narrow for a maze business and too awkward for buildings, easy to miss. We noticed the land’s promising aspect, the water access, and the road close by. We thought a crop could work but we were not sure. It had to be hardy and low-input. Ben thought, Christmas trees. We planted trial rows of Pinus radiata to test the idea, and over that first year they thrived. Those rows turned possibility into a promise, and Christchurch Christmas Trees began in earnest. Today that odd triangle of land holds thousands of thriving Christmas pines. Each December the gates at Christchurch Christmas Trees swing open; Canterbury families wander the rows and enjoy the fun of picking a tree as part of their Christmas tradition.