IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Oh hi! It’s somehow almost halfway through November - and we’re just 17 days away from opening for our very first season.

To say we’ve been hard at work getting the farm ready feels a bit like an understatement. It’s been a somewhat hectic couple of weeks since our last update — and we’ve made a ton of progress and yet it still feels like there is SO much to do.

This past weekend we rented an Airbnb near the farm so we could minimize our driving and maximize our time at the farm, Pat took Friday off of work, we both had Monday off for Veteran’s Day, and we had an amazing crew of friends and family helping. Over the course of four days we were able to finish up mowing and do seemingly endless weed whacking (which is almost done now!)

We could probably get away without doing every square inch of all 22-acres - but we really want to make sure the entire farm is in tip-top shape for tree searching, and photo taking, and kiddos running around.

Speaking of photo taking, Cara Partridge Photography came out on Friday, right before the sun set, and got some really stunning shots of some beautiful people. I just love seeing the farm as the backdrop for these families’ holiday memories — and probably their Christmas cards as well. I mean, how could you not use this photo on your Christmas card? It’s gorgeous.

You can check out more of Cara’s photos out on Insta..

In between photo shoots and farm prep, Treetop Acres’ founder John came out and helped us practice shaking and baling so we’ll be ready to do it all on our own. We also started tagging, to let everyone know which trees are available for sale.

Since it takes Christmas trees about 8 years of growing to reach the size most people want, we have to be really careful to not sell too many - so we have plenty for next year and the year after too.

I’m anticipating the hardest part of this business (for me anyway) will be having to turn people away once we’ve sold a certain number of trees. The good news is, that’s just about the only part I’m not looking forward to.

I think the rest is going to be amazing — starting with our very first tree sale, which happened yesterday.

We technically don’t open until November 29th, however we had a very special circumstance. There is a customer who has come to Treetop Acres for many, many years but is no longer able to walk the fields herself.

She still finds great joy in having a real (Blue Spruce) Christmas tree so for the last few years, John (the farm’s founder and former owner) would text her photos of some nice Blue Spruces and have her pick her favorite - and then he’d cut it down and have it all ready for her to pick up the day after Thanksgiving.

We are honored to continue that tradition, so she can continue to enjoy a Treetop Acres tree every year. And she was so sweet and grateful, we’re incredibly honored for her tree to be the first we’ve officially sold.

She’s a beaut, Clark!

We also put up some temporary signage this weekend, just to get us through this season — and then we’ll have a permanent road side sign made.

Even though we know it’s temporary, seeing our brand come to life throughout the farm has been really exciting.

Before we left to come back home, we cut several boughs of greenery to practice our wreath making at home this week, Keep an eye on social for a sneak peak at the wreath making table Pat and his dad built for us, and what we’re able to do with it!

We’ll be back out at the farm on Thursday, to do an interview with a reporter from the Lockport Sun and then back again all next weekend to continue getting ready. We’ll even be doing some decorating of the barn - and things will really start to feel magical. Speaking of magical, I think both Pat and I have set a new personal record for how early we started listening to Christmas music - but hey, we’ve gotta get in the spirit somehow, right?

Last but not least, we’ll be celebrating Small Business Saturday on Saturday, November 30th.

You can support local by finding your perfect Christmas tree, and then browsing a curated selection of greeting cards, gift wrap, ornaments, and other offerings from fantastic local small businesses, including Nineteen Coffee, Tiny Buffalo Designs, Bee Keeping It Real, and more.

There may even be a visit from Santa that day ;)