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Chris’ Trees
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othing can replicate the scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree. Perhaps that’s because it is more a memory than a smell. With that sweet-piney aroma comes Dad’s slushy boots walking through the living room with the tree in tow, dust billowing off ornaments as they’re unwrapped for the season, and decorative lights waiting to guide Santa Claus. Our local tree farms help preserve these old-fashioned family traditions by providing the quintessential choose and cut Christmas tree experience. If you’re pining for the holidays, plan a trip to one of the local tree farms outlined in our directory. Chris’ Trees: 900 Canal Road, Princeton, NJ 908.874.3237 chrisstrees.com Hours: Monday – Friday, 9AM – dusk from November 25 – December 24 Services: Choose and cut trees Choose and cut trees: Blue Spruce, Concolor Fir Chris Geckeler fell in love with the area while attending Princeton University (Class of ‘59). In turn, his eponymous tree farm on Canal Road brings Princeton’s natural beauty to local families each holiday season. Located in a bucolic area along the Delaware and Raritan Canal, the choose and cut tree farm is the ideal setting for a winter outing. Geckeler, who spearheads everything from planting to harvesting the trees, has watched longtime customers grow up and start to bring their own children to his long-standing tree farm.
Bear Swamp Farm: 300 Basin Road, Hamilton, NJ 609.587.1411 (Matt Willard) or 609.480.4861 (Glenn Willard) willardchristmastrees.com Hours: Monday-Friday, Noon – dusk and Saturday-Sunday, 8AM – dusk from November 24 – December 25 Services: Choose and cut and precut trees, wreaths Choose and cut trees: Douglas Fir, Norway Spruce, Canaan Fir, and Blue Spruce The Willard family is the authority on Christmas trees in the Bucks/Mercer County area. Family patriarch, Samuel Willard, purchased the Jug Hill Christmas Tree Farm in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania in 1942, and slowly expanded the business to three other locations: Carousel Village in Newtown, Pa., Sandy Creek in Columbus, NJ, and Bear Swamp in Hamilton, NJ. Today, Samuel’s sons, Glenn and Steve, and his grandson, Matt, operate the farms. Ironically, these arborists have no tree traditions of their own as they are hard-at-work helping others create Christmas memories. All the Willard tree farms offer activities and services beyond trees. At Bear Swamp in Mercer County, they offer rope for holiday decorating and hayrides on the weekend.
HOLIDAY 2016 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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