Eight Years Later: Watching Two of Our Very First Little Saps Grow

Eight Years Later: Watching Two of Our Very First Little Saps Grow

One of the hardest parts about growing a business like Little Saps is that I rarely get to see what happens after a tree leaves our farm.

I know where many of them are headed—a memorial service, a wedding, a new home, a birthday, or the celebration of a new baby. I hear wonderful stories from customers about why they're sending a tree. But after the package arrives and the tree is planted, life moves on.

Every once in a while, though, someone sends us a photo – and it’s always such a joy to see!

This summer, I received photos of two of our very first Little Saps. In those early years, it was mostly friends and family who supported our little business, making those first trees especially personal to me. It was such a joy to see them thriving after all these years. By coincidence, they were both Eastern Red Cedars.

The first tree was planted at my aunt and uncle's home in Sumter, South Carolina, in memory of my cousin Henry. In April 2018, I gave them a Little Sap on the day their church dedicated a memorial garden in Henry's honor. Today, that tiny memorial tree gift has grown into a beautiful evergreen standing about eight feet tall—a quiet, living reminder of someone deeply loved and missed.

Just a couple of months later, in June 2018, I traveled to Chicago for the baby shower of one of my closest friends.

Her pregnancy felt especially miraculous. After previous health challenges, we weren't sure she would ever have children. Watching her celebrate that new chapter was incredibly meaningful.

One of the Little Saps she received at her shower was later planted on property her family owns near Springfield, Ohio, where her father is buried. Today, that tree is also flourishing, standing about seven feet tall and continuing to grow alongside the alongside the child whose arrival it celebrated.

Seeing both trees brought a huge smile to my face.

Eastern Red Cedars typically grow about six to twelve inches each year, so their size makes perfect sense. But knowing how much life has happened over the past eight years makes those photos feel even more meaningful.

Families have continued to gather. Children have grown up. People have celebrated birthdays, welcomed new family members, remembered loved ones, and created new traditions.

And through it all, these little trees have quietly kept growing. Along the way, they've also been doing what trees do best—capturing carbon, creating habitat, and adding a little more green to our world.

What struck me most wasn't just how much the trees had grown. It was realizing that they've been growing alongside the people whose stories they represent. One began as a memorial. The other celebrated a long-hoped-for new life. Eight years later, both continue to stand as living reminders of those moments.

It's also a beautiful reminder of why we started Little Saps in the first place.

Flowers are beautiful, but they eventually fade. A living tree grows alongside the people who receive it, becoming part of the story it was given to celebrate or remember.

I hope that eight years from now, many of the Little Saps we ship today will be standing tall in yards or patios across the country, quietly reminding families of the moments that mattered most.

If you happen to have a Little Sap that's been growing for several years, I'd love to see it. Feel free to send us a photo—it would absolutely make our day.

One of my dreams is to create an online forest where customers can share photos and stories of their Little Saps through the years. Every tree has a story, and I'd love to celebrate them together.