TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON — On a crisp December Sunday afternoon, Memorial Field felt like the heart of the town: kids weaving between rows of Fraser firs, families sizing up their perfect picks, and volunteer firefighters greeting neighbors as they trimmed branches, cut bases clean, fed trees through the plastic netting chute, and tied them securely for the ride home.
Then they did it again. And again.
For the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department, the annual Christmas tree sale is more than its largest fundraiser — it’s the wending tinsel of local history, placed by generations of volunteers who grew up with it and now help carry it forward.
“We give back to the community.”
Longtime committee member and ex–fire chief Rick Schroeder told Pascack Press the sale typically moves 800 to 1,000 trees each season, funding safety gear and equipment — and, just as importantly, the department’s community programs.
“We give back all year,” Schroeder said. “We sponsor the Easter egg hunt, the Ragamuffin Parade, township baseball, and scholarships for high school seniors, to name a few.”
Schroeder handles the tree ordering — starting as early as January — working with suppliers in Canada. Other committee members take on their own pieces of the job: Former chief and 50-year member Jimmy Zaconie runs the register; police officer and ex-chief Roy Scherer prepares the wreaths and grave blankets at the firehouse; and Braeden Roberts, who’s been helping since age 11 and is now an active firefighter of three years, keeps the workflow moving. Honorary fire chief Mike Agnello and Schroeder share the day-to-day operations that keep the sale humming.
And then there is Doris Zaconie, whose signature bows — red, gingham, and snowy blue — adorn each wreath, layered with pinecones, blossoms, and berries. Doris designs and assembles the bows at home; Jimmy brings them to the firehouse for placement.
A long day’s work, repeated for decades
On weekends the sale runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the coming weekend expected to be one of the busiest. Sunday afternoon already saw dozens of families stop by.
Customer service was a relay: trim, cut, wrap, carry, load, tie, wave — repeated with good humor.
Working the sale when we showed up were Zaconie, Schroeder, Joe Mandano, Salvatore Caporale, Joseph Caporale Sr., Ryan Smith (vice president of the department), and rising stars Ian Murphy and Braeden Roberts.
“We’ve been doing this our whole lives.”
Between customers, several firefighters reminisced about earlier years and earlier locations — a kind of living map of the township’s growth.
As kids, many helped older members sell trees in what was then Washington Town Center mall, at the end where Spencer Savings once stood before the shopping center’s redevelopment. Before that, volunteers recalled years spent selling trees down by Pine Lake, once a beloved sand-bottom swim club at Pascack and Ridgewood roads.
By the time the fire department began selling there in the mid-1980s, the lake had closed, but the site remained a local landmark — known for its artesian well, canoes, footbridge, bike racks, and summer crowds.
Later the sale moved to the commuter lot beside the former firehouse on Washington Avenue, a building whose cramped bays and low door clearances volunteers had long outgrown. In winter, firefighters sometimes geared up outdoors before calls.
All of that changed with the completion of the township’s joint firehouse and volunteer ambulance headquarters, dedicated in 2020 — a long-planned upgrade that modernized operations and created the breathing room the sale needed.
When construction began, the sale shifted to Memorial Field, where the cabana offers shelter in rain and the open space accommodates both inventory and families browsing. That, Schroeder said, has “worked out well. We clean up everything, we put everything back into order,” he added. “The town has been very cooperative.”
A tradition neighbors return to — year after year
Bill and Claudia Carroll, of the Township, picked out their tree with practiced efficiency — gestures, nods, the easy shorthand of a couple who has done this many times. “I always do this, every year,” Bill said, smiling as firefighters prepped the tree.
Leslie and Brian DeSantis of Hillsdale, with daughters Zoe and Lily, were lashing their fir to the roof of their Mazda3. “It’s a great tree and a great cause,” Leslie said. “This is our spot.”
Bethany and John of Waldwick were securing their tree in the bed of their Toyota Tacoma. John grew up visiting the sale annually with his family; moving out of state made him miss the tradition. Now back in the area, he’s passed it on to Bethany, who grew up in northern Massachusetts.
“This is so sweet,” she said.
