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Published Nov/Dec 2005 Left: Most tree farms have several varieties to choose from, such as this noble fir. The National Christmas Tree Association photo |
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Put the whole family in the holiday spirit
with a Christmas Tree Farm outing. By Barbara Baird |
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 n a family video, our daughter–a pixie wearing her big brother’s red stocking cap with a billiard-size wooly ball bobbing up and down–runs rings around her daddy while he uses an old-fashioned band saw to cut down our Christmas tree. A trip to a tree lot cannot equal in its appeal to amateur videographers who wish to capture memories of family life. What better place to ramp up the holiday hype and to enjoy each other during the yuletide season than an outing to a Christmas tree farm. Holiday tree farm owners realize they have to compete with artificial trees at the discount store and the local community groups’ tree lots just around the corner. In response, many Midwest growers have become smart marketers, creating memorable family experiences–complete with photos, hot chocolate and music–at their holiday tree farms. Here’s a selection of farms to visit with your family. Don’t forget the camera. Celebrating in Illinois Shoemaker’s Ridge Road Tree Farm is located in Urbana, Ill. Owner Dave Shoemaker is a past president of the Illinois Christmas Tree Association. “The two things about my farm that are unique are the rental golf carts and the digital photos of our customers with their trees on our Web site,” said Shoemaker. Families can haul their tree to the farm’s entrance on the carts, which are fun to drive. Visitors tell Shoemaker they also like the photos. “I’ve had numerous comments and e-mails that they [customers] really enjoyed sending them to grandma,” he said. “It’s a fun thing to do.” He said families make the long drive from St. Louis to his farm because of the extra features. Or maybe it’s the homemade cinnamon rolls served in the morning and fresh chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. Ex-marine David Daniken and wife, Joey, grow prize-winning trees at their second-generation tree farm near Greenville, Ill. For the past three years, the Danikens have entered several trees in the Illinois State Fair. Last year, their trees earned two first place ribbons and a fourth place ribbon. The farm offers beautiful trees of eight varieties and has a spacious gift shop that sells items woven from the farm’s fresh greens, as well as elegant wreaths made from Pacific Northwest greenery. Daniken’s tour of duty with the Marines may be over, but his service continues. He offers his farm as the local collection point for the Toys for Tots program, the holiday toy drive benefiting needy children. Christmas in Kansas Midland Holiday Pines owner Phil Wegman, president of the Kansas Christmas Tree Growers Association, said customers get more than a tree at a farm. “We believe that what families are really buying when they come to a Christmas tree farm is the total experience–including riding a wagon ride out to the tree, walking through and selecting the perfect tree, cutting their own tree, then coming back to the farm building for hot chocolate and Christmas music,” he said. Many tree farms open their gates at other times of the year, too. At Prairie Pines in Maize, Kan., former music teacher Bob Scott and his wife, Patsy, have created an ideal setting for weddings, receptions and private parties in their barn and lush garden. Scott said their farm is a “people service operation” and celebrates all year with activities, such as summer chamber music, October Days and traditional Christmas activities. Making merry in Missouri Meier Horse Shoe Pines in Jackson, Mo., offers horse-drawn wagon rides to the fields and free hot cider upon return. The six gelding Belgian draft horses reside on the farm, and the Meier men built the wagons specifically for this special holiday task. When Santa comes to Horse Shoe Pines, so does the photographer–who snaps a complimentary photo for each customer. “That’s our gift to them,” Teresa Meier said. Her husband, Steve, is the past president of the Missouri Christmas Tree Association. From October until the first week in December, the Meiers welcome schoolchildren on a walking tour of the grounds and of the wreath-making shop. Students also receive cider and a coloring page. In Boonville, Mo., at the Starr Pines Christmas Tree Farms, you may indulge in free hot spiced cider and candy canes. There is also a craft and antique shop. Ann and Wayne Harmon, proprietors of Starr Pines, also employ a unique helpmate. Lily, a black pot-bellied pig, roams the fields. Some customers jokingly say she has helped them to find the perfect tree. “She’s a funny little pig…everyone looks for her. The kids come running and ask for the pig before anything else,” Ann Harmon said. Indiana Holidays Gail and Artie Rataliff, who own Rataliff Pine Retreat & Christmas Tree Farm in Springport, Ind., keep the gates open to their tree farm all year. By offering a bed-and-breakfast and a rustic pole barn used for receptions or meetings, the Rataliffs host those who want to spend time in the pines. Located in east-central Indiana, the farm celebrates its annual Pumpkin & Pinefest from Oct. 1–Dec. 23. In the fall, the corn maze entices folks to get lost, and the farm sells mums, pumpkins, Indian corn, hay and gourds. Hayrides are available, and guests can ride out to the pines and tag their trees early. Young children are treated to hayrides during field trips in October. They also learn how trees grow and about the environmental benefits of real trees. Older children may hike the nature trail. All the children may feed the animals, explore the corn maze and choose a pumpkin to take home. Winter holiday items for sale include homemade wreaths, centerpieces and memorial items, such as grave blankets, grave saddles and crosses. On a mid-1800s farmstead 40 miles northwest of Indianapolis, the Dull Tree Farm is also a working soybean and corn farm. Three years ago, the local Newfoundland Club approached Kerry and Tom Dull and asked if they could hold a fundraiser there. The club members and their dogs showed up to haul customers’ trees from the field to the parking lot, using specially made wagons, sleds and tarps. The big, wooly dogs earned hundreds of dollars in donations for the Newfoundland Rescue fund, and have been a popular draw at the farm each year since then. The Dulls’ philosophy of trying to put tradition back into Christmas tree selection is gaining popularity, according to Tom Dull, who said real Christmas tree sales grew nationwide by 15 percent in 2004. “We’re really focusing on the farm–and people tell us we’re right,” he said. Barbara Baird is a contributor from Rolla, Mo. |
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