Greg Walsh, who operated Christmas tree stands around the city for 40 years, has passed away.
The Greg’s Trees Instagram account shared the news with fans yesterday.
“To know him was to love him, and to laugh with him was one of our greatest honors,” they said. “He was an inspiration to us all—showing us how to live by unconditionally spreading joy, loving others, and, most importantly, saying ‘ho, ho, ho’ in every corner of the world.”
For many Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents young and old, Greg Walsh simply was Santa Claus.
There’s the obvious resemblance of the white hair and the beard. But Walsh also embodied the holiday spirit, no matter the holiday. He sold Christmas trees, Halloween pumpkins, and even Valentine’s Day flowers.
“He keeps a Santa hat on him at all times, and his license plate reads SANTA09. In the summers, he wears red-and-green Hawaiian shirts, and at all times of the year, whenever he enters a business, he shouts, ‘Ho, ho, ho!’ at the teenager standing behind the counter,” wrote Owen Long, a Greg’s Trees employee, in a Curbed profile of the Christmas tree trade.
“As Santa, Greg made every child feel special. I remember my daughter sitting in his sleigh in the backyard of The Springs when he asked her all about her Christmas stuffed toys and even cuddled some,” Jennifer Rosini-Gentile, our food editor who often spoke with Walsh for stories, recalled warmly.
“She always looked forward to visiting him after that. When he started the pumpkin patches, my family was so excited to be able to see him earlier in the year.”
All of us at Greenpointers will miss Greg and express our deepest sympathies for his family and loved ones.