The Tree Elves Origin Story

It’s 2014 — our fourth year doing the King of Pops thing.

We felt blessed, and still terrified that each winter might be our last.

When sales started to slow (and we were bone-tired), it made sense to take winters off. We called it Surf Break and tried to figure out a way to make the economics work for our colleagues, too.

That particular Surf Break, Nick and I were in California — probably not surfing much — when a friend got a live Christmas tree delivered to their apartment.

Without words. Probably not even eye contact. Our winter business was hatched.

The process was simple: tree in, tree out, smiles all around.

The next winter, Tree Elves was born. Its objective was simple — don’t lose money, get our team some hours, and keep the King of Pops conversation going a little longer. (All trees delivered with holiday pops, of course.)

In the early days, we were all in on the “live tree” idea. We imagined families naming their tree (“Hi, Clyde 👋”) and we’d bring the same one back each year. Turns out, Leyland cypress, the only kind of “Christmas tree” that can live in pots around here, weighs a couple hundred pounds.

It was so exhausting.

We did that for two years, and just before our backs were ruined, we pivoted. We paired the elf magic people loved with beautiful Fraser firs from North Carolina — premium trees that looked incredible and made our customers genuinely happy. Our return rate dropped below 1%, and before long, the Tree Elves became a local legend (in very small, special circles).

Then COVID hit, and the elves went into hibernation for a while.

But now, as King of Pops grows through franchises across the South, we’re bringing them back — because our franchisees are the perfect partners to deliver a little seasonal magic (and they like making money year round).

And yes, if you call us, you’ll be talking to a real Elf. When we deliver, we show up in full uniform — ready to play along with whatever holiday traditions your family dreams up.

There were plenty of times we probably should’ve hung up our elf hats, but it’s one thing we just can’t let go of. Too many people call begging for it to come back. And if our goal really is to spread happiness and have fun while we do it — why the heck would we ever stop?

So … if you like a good time, beautiful trees, delicious pops (flavors dropping soon 🤫), and supporting a local business — we’re your popsicle-turned-tree-delivery crew of choice.

💛 Spritz the Elf (new name this year)