Christmas came early for Fort Eustis Soldiers and families when the National Christmas Tree Association’s Christmas Spirit Foundation in partnership with FedEx delivered more than 400 Christmas trees to the 8th Transportatino Brigade Pavilion at Eustis Dec. 9.

This is the fifth year of the Trees for Troops program, which provides free Christmas trees to active-duty military and their families as a gesture of appreciation for their service and sacrifice for the nation.

Although the event was to begin at 10 a.m., it actually started earlier due to the overwhelming number of people lined up to pick their ideal tree.

“People were lined up about 8:45 this morning, so we started earlier than planned, at about 9:15,” said Fort Eustis Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation director Randy Smith.

Soldiers from the installation’s Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers assisted Soldiers and family members. As family members and Soldiers pointed, the BOSS members untied and twirled the trees for the discerning eyes of their customers. Once a tree was selected, the BOSS members were on hand to carry the tree to waiting cars to be strapped onto car roofs or loaded into minivans or truck beds, if requested.

Last year, the program delivered 17,082 trees to 53 installations, including two overseas. This year FedEx plans to deliver more than 15,000 trees to troops and their families worldwide.

Since the program’s inception in 2005, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 34,000 trees to more than 40 installations worldwide, and FedEx has logged more than 90,000 miles to deliver the trees.

The trees delivered to Eustis were donated by Holly, Wood and Vines in Richmond, Clouse’s Pine Hill Tree Farm in Winchester and Joe’s Trees in Newport. Customers who bought trees for donation to the project and tree farm employees attached handwritten thank you notes to the trunk of each tree.

For more information, visit www.treesfortroops.org or www.christmasspiritfoundation.org.