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Gallio Family Christmas Trees opens for 31st year in Tampa

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Published  November 24, 2024 4:00pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

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    TAMPA, Fla. - When you walk across the little yellow bridge to the Gallio Family Christmas Trees in South Tampa, you immediately enter a winter wonderland.

    "You come in, and I mean all this stuff is free, you can just hang out, have fun, meet Santa, enjoy the snow machine and Christmas movies," said long-time employee, Curt Duncan.

    Gallio family Christmas tree farm in South Tampa.

    And, of course, find the perfect Christmas tree to buy.

    It's why Duncan has come back to work here every holiday season for over a decade.

    But after back-to-back hurricanes devastated the Bay Area, including communities across South Tampa, he didn't know if returning would be an option, because Owner Ed Gallio struggled with the idea of even opening.

    "We were lucky ourselves," Gallio told FOX 13. "But just all the devastation, I mean driving through the neighborhoods, it was terrible. And it was like, I just don't feel right doing this with everybody suffering like they are. So, we talked to people, and we put something on our Facebook page, asking everyone, 'What do you think?' And there was not one negative comment. Everybody said, yeah, you have to do it. You have to go for it.

    READ MORE: Tampa church giving away thousands of free turkeys to families in need ahead of Thanksgiving

    After that, the Gallio Family opened their location for the 31st year. Despite so many of his customers being displaced, Ed said they're still finding ways to fit a tree into their holiday displays.

    "People who once bought big trees in the past, don't have room for it, wherever they're living now. But, they're still getting a tree, even if it's a smaller tree," he shared.

    Gallio says his site is open for anyone who wants to get into the Christmas spirit. 

    "This year, it's all about the holidays and Christmas and being happy and trying to forget the trouble that we've had," he explained.

    Gallio added that many of their trees came from areas in North Carolina that were devastated by Helene, so he's happy to support them.

    They're located at 4518 S. Manhattan Ave. in Tampa.

    They're open Sunday-Thursday 9 a.m. -8 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

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