Saratoga News

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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Picking out the right Christmas tree is all part of the holiday experience for area families. Mitchell Levy (left) helps his son Duncan trim off the bottom branches after cutting down their tree at the Patchen California Christmas Tree Farm.

Yule Love It

Whether you cut it down or buy it at a lot, the Christmas tree selection experience is a holiday tradition

By Shannon Burkey

When it comes to decorating the Christmas tree, every family has its own way of doing it. But as much as decorating the family tree is a tradition, choosing the perfect tree has become a tradition of its own.

The search for the perfect tree can take a family from a tree lot to a tree farm, while others may opt to go the artificial way. No matter what, they build traditions that last year after year.

"Picking the tree is the most fun for me," says Michele Christian, who along with her husband and three children has bundled up and braved the tree farm trail for eight years in a row to cut down their own tree. "You have to look at it and be happy with it for about a month, so you definitely want to make sure you pick a good one."

Each year approximately 30 million to 35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States and 10 million artificial trees are sold worldwide, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

Selecting the right tree can be a tough choice, and with so many options out there, how are families to decide?

For the adventurous family, cutting down a tree at a farm is a great experience. With saw in hand, families can wander through acres of trees in search of the one that will fill their home with holiday joy.

"When you actually pick and cut down a tree, it feels so much more like your own," Christian says. "There's something to be said about putting in a little bit of work to get the perfect tree. Since the first time we came to a farm, I can't imagine getting our tree any other way."

Six-year-old Holden Christian agrees.

"My favorite part of Christmas is helping my dad cut the tree," Holden says. "This year I want us to get a big, big tree."

But the tradition is not always about the perfect tree. Sometimes it can be about putting a smile on the face of a child.

Los Gatos residents Iesha and Andy Honeycutt, along with their 3-year-old son Jagger, have been coming to the Patchen California Christmas Tree Farm in the Los Gatos mountains for two years, but they say they know this is a tradition that will stay in their family for years.

"We just started our tradition because our son is only 3, but now he is old enough to get into it and really enjoy it," Iesha Honeycutt says. "I think we'll keep doing it because it's fun for him. He really enjoys running around and playing in the trees and drinking the cider."

Christmas tree farms are not only about cutting down the trees, though.

Patchen owner Jim Beck, who has operated the farm for 37 years, says many of his customers return year after year to enjoy the picnic grounds and on-site store stocked with Christmas goodies and ornaments before searching for their tree. Some of Patchen's customers have been visiting the farm for more than 25 years, he says.

"We really try to make it a welcoming environment," Beck says. "We really encourage people to stay and hang out and make a day of it."

Los Gatos resident Jill Logan and her friends and family have made it their tradition to make a day of the Christmas tree farm experience. On the first Saturday in December, which Beck says is the busiest time of the season, Logan, her family members and friends set up a spread at the farm where they picnicked, played football, caught up on old times and then picked out Christmas trees.

"It's our tradition that the first weekend in December we get together and cut down our trees. This year 25 of us met up here, and each family got a tree," Logan says. "But the best part is sitting back drinking wine and catching up with my friends and family."

Not every family is into the rugged outdoors, and that's where the tree lot can come in.

In its first weekend open, Queen's tree lot in Saratoga sold 220 trees and anticipates selling nearly 2,500 before the season ends, according to lot manager Carl Warner.

"We get all our trees from growers in Oregon and we get fresh shipments in regularly," Warner says. "I think some people just prefer Oregon trees to California trees. Because they get so much rain in Oregon, it makes for a nicer, fuller tree."

Since 1983, Saratoga resident Kathy Epes has chosen her family's primary living room tree at Queen's. Along with her daughter Melissa, Epes is in search of the perfect tree for their home.

"It's so exciting the first day you see the trees coming down from the mountains," Epes says. "I love coming to this lot because the trees are so fresh."

When it comes to picking her tree, Epes says she only has one criterion--it must be a noble fir.

"The main reason we don't go to the farms is because I have to have a noble, and they don't grow in California."

It didn't take her too long to find her family's perfect tree. "When I saw this tree, I knew this was it," Epes says of the 8-foot noble fir she chose. "This tree is my angel tree because I decorate it in silver and gold with angels, so it has to be perfect."

But the family also has another tradition when it comes to their trees.

"My brothers and I get to decorate an artificial one," Melissa Epes says. "The real one has special ornaments that go on it, so we decorate the fake one with colorful, fun decorations that are not as fancy."

Although it may seem like the easy way out, many families swear by the artificial tree.

"We had other traditions in the past, but now I think the artificial tree is the only way to go," says Saratoga resident Sandra Moore. "There was a time when going out and picking our own tree was fun, but it's a lot of work. Now, every year I have a perfect tree, and it's up in a very short amount of time."

Moore says her family traditions changed as her family changed.

"When your kids are little, they really get into the whole Christmas tree thing," Moore said. "Then they grow up and they don't care anymore if the tree is real or fake, so I decided to make it easier on myself."

Some families set out on their search for the perfect tree with only a vague idea of what they are looking for. Other are armed with measuring tapes and pieces of papers with exact dimensions of the area the tree will inhabit. But there is no denying when the perfect tree is right in front of you.

"I don't have a favorite type of tree that I prefer," Christian says. "We come, we take a walk around the farm and it never fails--eventually we just come upon a tree that is perfect and we just have to have it."

So traditions may come and go, but the perfect tree for each family, whether it's from a lot, a farm or the nearest Target, is out there waiting to be found.