Tree farms offer holiday experience for families

Bob Eaton owner of Bob’s Trees in Galway said trees started selling the weekend after Thanksgiving and will continue to sell until the week prior to Christmas.

“The first two weekends in December are our busiest,” Eaton said.

Eaton said families make a day of picking out a tree and how it is something kid’s will always remember.

“It’s more than just grabbing a tree,” he said. “It brings Christmas right out having a real tree. It signifies Christmas.”

Besides either cutting your own tree or choosing a pre-cut tree, there is more to do at Bob’s. A horse-drawn wagon brings customers to the fields of Bob’s Trees and hot chocolate is available too.

Chip Ellms, owner of Ellms’ Christmas Trees, said they are a choose and cut farm, but do have pre-cut trees for customers because not everyone likes to cut their own. In preparation of the first two weekends of December, Ellms said decorating, making wreaths and cutting some trees for the pre-cuts have been keeping them busy.

Ellms said they have hot chocolate for customers and make apple cider doughnuts every day.

With a wagon/trolley ride to the fields, Ellms said many families have been making Christmas tree picking or cutting a tradition.

“People want to make an event and make it a tradition,” Ellms said. “More families come to experience the outdoors and make memories.”

When picking a Christmas tree, there are a variety of choices for familes.

Bob’s Trees is on more than 100 acres, and Eaton said by growing their own they have a constant supply of the most popular trees.

Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Balsam Fir, Colorado Blue Spruce, Cannan Fir and White Spruce are some of the varieties found at Bob’s.

He said fresh cut trees will survive in 90 percent of houses from Thanksgiving to Christmas, unless it is extremely hot and dry in the home.

Eaton said the price of a tree depends on its size and variety. The price range is from $15 for four-foot to six-foot trees to $40 for five-foot to 10-foot trees.

Eaton said there are plenty of trees for families to choose from. Eaton did say some growers have shortages, but said many things have attributed to that.

“The demand has succeeded the supply,” Eaton said.

He said his only shortage is trees taller than 12 feet. Eaton said they have some, but attributes the low number to many people having cathedral ceilings in their homes and wanting a larger tree.

Eaton said over the last decade a lot of tree farms have closed, leaving fewer growers. That too has led to a slight shortage. He said not many people are jumping into the industry either, because it takes quite a few years to show a dividend.

“Many people are shocked it takes 10 to 15 years to grow a Christmas tree,” Eaton said.

In that time a few droughts during the summer and a glut in people buying trees also have contributed. Eaton said some years they lost three-quarter of the trees planted due to drought.

Ellms said they really started getting ready for this season eight or nine years ago when they planted the trees that will most likely be cut down. They plant more than 3,000 seedlings a year, but conditions affect how many trees make it to someone’s house.