COEUR d'ALENE - When it comes to staying warm while selling Christmas trees, Boy Scout Troop 3 has it down to an art.

Troop leader Rob Agne of Coeur d'Alene used an old washing machine to create a hanging fire cage, which kept the Scouts and their guests warm on their tree lot off Canfield Avenue during Saturday's biting cold temperatures.

"This is direct recycling," Agne said. The washer had been dumped in the woods, so Agne decided to reuse it. He used the frame for the tripod, the washtub for the burning barrel and the exterior as a windshield.

"We were able to recycle 99 percent of the unit," he said.

Troop 3, otherwise known as Troop "Tree," has been selling Christmas trees in the same location for 22 years. Weather hasn't posed any problems this year, but it has caused some difficulties in the past.

"We were here in 2008 when we were buried in snow," Agne said. "So we taught (the Scouts) how to shovel. We kept the sidewalk cleared."

He recalled one season when winter conditions kept people away.

"We only had one year when the weather really stopped us, but it wasn't stopping us, it was stopping customers," he said. "The roads were so bad that they didn't want to come in."

The temperature lingered in the teens on Saturday, but it didn't keep North Idaho families from finding their Christmas trees. Jessy Johnson, manager of Santa's Tree Farm in the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden, said the snow is actually a plus.

"If anything, I think it adds to the experience," said Johnson. "Last year with the snowfall we did have a lot of kids come in. They had fun running through the trees, snow falling on them. Now when it's freezing, that's a different story."

Johnson, of Coeur d'Alene, also warmed up next to a fire. He's working seven days a week until the season closes, rain or shine.

"I just like it when the kids come in. It was always my mom's favorite holiday," he said. "When the kids come in and they just start hopping around, pointing at trees, 'I want this one' or 'I want this one,' I just like seeing that. It makes me happy."

When the snow does begin to come down, tree merchants aren't too worried. Jason Moore of Moore's Tree Farm at 8106 S. Gilmore Lane said even in bad weather people are determined to get their trees.

"It just makes it harder to get, but people don't mind working for it," he said.

Moore said he plows the roads and maintains access as best as possible for customers, who can actually cut down their own trees on his tree farm. He said it's nice when the weather warms up so parents don't have to rush to keep their little ones warm, but winter conditions aren't much of a deterrent.

"It's kind of an exciting time for them to be able to cut down a tree they selected," he said.

How should Christmas tree hunters plan to beat the cold?

"The secret is layers," Agne said. "The bottom layer, you want to have polypropylene. It's a very thin fiber that pulls the water away from your skin. The water is what kills you, sweat and water."

George Poteet of Poteet Produce at 5959 Government Way echoed the advice about staying dry. The shed on his lot has a heater, allowing him to step in and get warm when necessary.

"We've had days where it's cold like it is today, we've had days where it's snowing, or even raining, which is even worse because it just gets everything soaked," he said. "But when people want a tree, it's just time to get one. Whether it's good weather or cold or wet, they just kind of buck up and go for it."

Poteet, wearing many layers and a thick hat, said although the cold makes customers decide on their trees a little faster, it's still an enjoyable experience.

"It's fun to see families come out, and it's fun to see everybody involved with it," he said. "It's kind of a fun job in that regard because people come in wanting to be part of the celebration. They're starting their celebration right here."