The Rotary Club of Pago Pago’s annual Christmas Tree Sale is entering its final week, with more than 400 trees and wreaths expected to be in homes and businesses across American Samoa by Saturday.
The sale has been a holiday tradition for nearly 20 years, bringing fresh‑cut evergreens from mainland farms to Tutuila. The process requires months of planning, weeks of shipping, dockside transport, agricultural inspection, refrigerated storage, and volunteer staffing at the tree sale, which is held in the parking lot of the Tool Shop in Tafuna.
Rotarian Margie Tafiti, who coordinates daily operations, says the effort is as much about fellowship as logistics. Volunteers move trees from refrigerated containers, process sales, greet customers, and share food and drinks. “I love supporting this community,” Tafiti said. “What I particularly enjoy is getting everyone together to work—and then getting everyone to work together.”
Proceeds from the $90 tree sales stay local, funding projects such as the Pala Lagoon Swimming Center, Hope House support, hygiene cabinet installations in schools, and annual distribution of illustrated dictionaries to third graders.
The Rotary tree sale is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Tool Shop in Tafuna.
