You can argue all day long about the pros and cons between a real and artificial Christmas tree.

But what we too often forget is that some families can’t afford either.

That lesson was driven home in a profound way for a gentleman from Lowell who had an extra live Christmas tree on his hands, and put it up for free on Craigslist.

What he discovered from the onslaught of e-mails he received was far greater need than he’d anticipated, and after wrestling with what he might do to satisfy more than just one family, performed an extraordinary act of generosity.

He went out and purchased 40 more.

“I mean, it was just a tree,” Chad Rose told me, in recounting early on how he approached the decision to give the single tree away.

But with each e-mail he read from would-be recipients, it became clear to him how significant a tree can be in contributing to the holiday aura.

With every note he received, he was sobered at how an outlay of $25 or more for a Christmas tree is beyond the financial reach of so many in our midst.

“Hello,” began one e-mail. “My husband and I have 6 kids so you can imagine Christmas time is rough for us. We also have three birthdays at the end of the year.

“Having a real Christmas tree would be such a great blessing this year (because) usually we draw a Christmas tree on a large poster and hang it in the corner.”

From another hopeful, Rose received this: “You are a blessing! I was just getting ready to explain to my 6 year old daughter that Christmas is not just about a tree. In actuality, not being able to afford one this year was going to be more devastating for me. If you have one available…we would love to get one. Either way, what you are doing is truly incredible and I can not express how grateful I am for the impact you are having on people in your community.”

Rose’s unlikely communion with so many Christmas trees actually began earlier this month, when he entered a a float in holiday parades staged for both Lowell and Ada.

He’d inherited a 1937 Buick from an uncle, and decided to construct a nostalgic theme, putting the vehicle on a trailer, then topping the car with a live tree.

To add to the whimsy, he added a leg lamp, which played a key role in the 1983 TV classic “A Christmas Story.” His entry also included a van featuring his business, Crystal Carpet Care & Restoration.

After the parades were over, he found himself stuck with an extra tree, so he put it on Craigslist, careful to invite only those with true need to contact him.

“I was overwhelmed,” he says of the response, which started streaming in just minutes after he posted his ad.

Faced with the prospect of telling all but one party that the tree was spoken for, he put the other requesters on hold and drove to a tree farm in Greenville, where he bought 40 more, carting them to his Lowell home on a large trailer.

He spent most of Wednesday going over his list, checking it twice, and not paying much attention to who’s been naughty or nice – just deserving.

Ann Posont of East Grand Rapids read Rose’s ad and contacted him, not to get, but to give. She offered to donate ornaments and other trimming for folks who ended up with trees.

“Just so generous,” she said of Rose, adding that to go out and gather up more trees “tells a lot about his character, and makes you want to help.”

Rose said he might not have been able to pop for that many trees five or six years ago, when his cleaning and restoration business was struggling.

“But we’ve been blessed,” he said.

Rose doesn’t consider a tree vital in comparison to the real meaning of Christmas, but does believe that it’s “an important part of Christmas, especially for families with kids.

“I wish I could buy 100 trees,” he said. “Each e-mail I’ve received has pulled on my heartstring, and makes me wish I could do more than just provide a tree for these families.”

Rose, who’s the married father of two – Logan, nearly 8, and Mason, almost 6 -- was reluctant to air his story publicly. He relented after conferring with his wife Kara, 38, who convinced him it would be worth it if others were then inspired to do something nice for strangers at the holidays.

Rose, 40, hopes the couple's youngsters take away some lessons from watching as people visit their yard, share their stories, and make a dent in the 40 trees.

"I think it's important to teach them that life's about the giving," said Rose.

“And paying it forward. You know – a little joy.”