Community Corner
No Time for Holiday Prep? Help is Here, for a Price
You can have your tree trimmed, your gifts wrapped, and even your Christmas dinner cooked if you're able to foot the bill.
While many families use the holidays as a time to bond over making dinner, decorating a tree or wrapping gifts, others just don't have the time.
Luckily, for Park Slope residents, help is out there—for a price.
For example, Greenpoint Trees, Manhattan Ave. and Calyer St., Greenpoint, (800) 399-7796; will not only deliver your tree and set it up, they're even decorate it for you.
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"I have to travel a lot for my job, so between cooking dinner for everyone and shopping for gifts, buying and decorating a tree is something I just don't have time for," said Eric Samuels of Prospect Heights. "Even though it's expensive, it's worth it because it means everything can get done in time."
The services aren't cheap though. The full decorating option with lights, tinsel, and ornaments runs for $100 per foot of the tree, plus a $35 service fee. Factor in a stand and a 7-foot North Carolina Fraser Fir tree, and the total bill for Samuels was just over $900.
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Others have been making use of professional gift wrappers. Although wrapping a gift is a pretty simple process, it can be a time-consuming bore for some.
At super cute high-end stationery store Lion in The Sun, 232 7th Ave., Park Slope, (718) 369-4006, you can leave the present wrapping to the professionals.
Gifts bought at the store are wrapped free of charge, but they also wrap gifts of any size for $5, plus the cost of ribbon and paper. Wrapping an individual gift there will set you back about $10.
For the culinarily challenged, area favorite Bklyn Larder, 228 Flatbush Ave., (718) 783-1250, offers a full Christmas catering menu. Known for having some of the best cured meats and cheeses in the neighborhood, their meat-and-cheese party platter, which also includes pate, olives, pickles and fig jam runs $135 for a 10-person portion.
Want them to make dinner? Bklyn Larder's slow roasted Berkshire ham with four sides including baked chestnut stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and collard greens will cost just over $20 per person, meaning that Christmas dinner for 10 will set you back around $350.
Business owners say business is brisk.
But the high cost of these services doesn't add up for some area residents.
"I think that sort of goes against the whole point of holidays," said Park Slope resident Kevin Gordon. "If you don't care enough to do it yourself, then you're missing the point."
