‘Oh, great. Problem customers.’ I hadn’t even thought about that aspect of the job. ‘There’s always one, isn’t there?’

‘Actually, there are usually two, just to make a really good job of ruining someone’s day.’

It makes me smile as Noel leaves me cutting and starts carrying the trees up to the waiting trailer and loading them in. I watch for a moment as he starts moving them, lifting the smaller ones with one hand around the trunk at the bottom, and rolling the larger ones up onto his shoulder to carry them up to the nearest tractor path. He moves them quickly but gently, stacking them into the trailer with care, looking like he’s been doing it for most of his life. It makes me wonder again just how much he used to do for Mr Evergreene because there doesn’t seem to be a thing he doesn’t know about Christmas trees.

When I’ve cut some more down, I start loading too. I’ve already hauled a few dead trees – ones that I’ve been able to hack up with an axe and drag around because they can’t get much more damaged when they’re already dead – but this is my first time picking up a living Christmas tree that still has to be in a good enough condition to sell by the time I’m finished with it.

I go for one of the younger spruces and follow Noel’s lead, one hand around the base of the trunk, one hand carefully around the slimmer width of the top, and lift it, expecting it to be much heavier than it actually is. I carry it up to the trailer and lean it against the side until the bigger trees are loaded in underneath the smaller ones to save them being crushed. After a couple more, I go for a bigger one, hoisting it up over my shoulder. I turn around and complete the classic cartoon character move of decapitating everything in a circle around me, spraying needles around as the tree crashes into several of the ones still standing.

Noel hooks one ankle over the other and leans against the trailer, not hiding the amusement on his face.

All right, I’m not an expert at it yet, and lifting the heavier tree has made me realise how much I’m aching from all sawing and carrying. I’ve used muscles I’ve never used before in my life, and every part of my upper body is hurting, from my wrists, forearms, and upper arms, to my shoulders, neck, and right the way down my chest.