A Marine’s wife in Manatee has big plans for troops celebrating the holidays in Iraq: mini Christmas trees Hala Harper wants to ship them 1,000 artificial trees adorned with candy canes, lights and pictures of loved ones. She got the idea after hearing how her husband’s fellow Marines reacted to the tree she sent him last year, embellished with a framed photograph of their newborn daughter. David Harper stared at it every night and said it made him feel closer to home.
Each 12-inch tree costs $53. Harper is hoping sponsors will support the effort so military families don’t have to pay for them.