For as long as I can remember my family has always had a real tree in our home at Christmas time. At first, we would just get an already cut tree at the local tree lot but as I got older, we started the tradition of going to Wata Christmas Tree Farm in Quakertown, Pa. It was owned by family that attended our family church. Their sons were in the same youth group as me and my sister. So, it was only fitting to start the tradition of cutting down a tree at this Christmas tree farm.
After cutting down our tree and coming home with the tree strapped to the top of my parent’s station wagon, my dad would prep the tree to bring into the house so the family could decorate it. Every year, he would put our tree on a wooden platform that would be decorated with felt. We had an old train set that would circle the base of the tree, tiny Putz houses that would be covered with snow and mini cars and people to create a little village. A tradition that I loved every year and couldn’t wait to start with my own family.
Cutting down our own Christmas tree has been continued in the family my husband and I have created. I remember our first Christmas as a family together, my husband, daughter Shelby and I would go out to Wata Farm to cut down the Christmas tree. We would search the fields for the perfect Christmas tree. Sometimes taking hours to finally find that perfect one. You know, it couldn’t be too tall since our ceilings weren’t very high, couldn’t be too short since be had a bunch of ornaments we collected from our childhood and Shelby made at school, it couldn’t be too thin since nobody really wants a thin Christmas tree, and it couldn’t be too fat since you need to be able to move around the living room.
Shelby would run ahead searching for that perfect tree, my husband and I would follow. The fields had hundreds of trees, both Fraser and Douglas Fir. As she pointed out the perfect tree, my husband would take the saw and start cutting. Shelby would hold the tree to help him out. Each taking an end it to take the tree to our car. As my husband tied the tree to the top of our SUV, Shelby and I would check out the reindeer on the property. Seeing them, her excitement for Christmas would grow.
As our family grew, the tradition would continue. We went out to a local tree farm when we lived in Vermont. Nothing about the tradition changed much except for the amount of snow we would trudge through to find that perfect tree. By the time we found that perfect tree, we would all be frozen. When we returned home, both us and the tree would need to thaw out before we could start decorating.
When we moved back to Pennsylvania, the tradition continue when we lived in the Hershey Area. We found an amazing Christmas Tree Farm, Miller’s Christmas Tree Farm in Elizabethtown, PA. After searching for the perfect tree, we would sit by a fire pit enjoying hotdogs, marshmallows, and hot chocolate all complimentary from the farm. They would have amazing wreaths and garland you could purchase. The best part, for my kids, was the height chart they would have out each year. Finding their names from the previous year to see how much they grew was a priceless feeling for Ryleigh and Nick. Knowing we would need to move, our last year searching for a tree was hard for the whole family. The tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree was a tradition we hoped that we could continue and luckily, we did.
The first Christmas we lived in South Carolina, we were new and just went to the local tree lot to get our Christmas tree. Last year, with the whole Covid thing we just put up one of the artificial trees we had. This year we finally continued the family tradition of cutting down the tree at from a Christmas Tree Farm. Searching the internet and getting referral from friends, we found a wonderful Christmas Tree Farm.
After a lengthy drive up to Ward, SC, we found Wright’s Tree Farm. The tree farm was a little different than what we were used to in Pennsylvania, but we embraced the adventure of picking out the perfect Christmas Tree. As you get to the farm, you are taken down to the trees on a wagon pulled by a tractor. They drop you off at one of the sections of your choice. We chose an Eastern Red Cedar, a little different than the Douglas Fir and Frasers from years previous, but when in the south, get a southern Christmas tree. While you are waiting for your tree to be wrapped up, you can enjoy some purchased goodies from the snack stand and sit by the fire enjoying roasting marshmallows and hot cocoa. There is a bounce house for the kids to enjoy and freshly made wreaths for you to purchase. It was a fun day for our family and a yearly family Christmas tradition continued.
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