OCONTO, WI (WTAQ) – While ‘Turkey Day’ is the closest upcoming holiday, people like to get in the Christmas spirit early – and this year is no exception.
While not everyone is necessarily as excited as Clark Griswold, people are looking for the perfect Christmas tree. Whispering Pines Tree Farm in Oconto has seen a bigger month than usual after opening earlier this month.
“We opened our gift shop on November 6th. At that time, people can go out into the field and cut their tree,” said Owner Megan Yeska. “Especially this month of November, we have sold a lot of trees. People wanted to get outside for starters, we had some beautiful weather, they cut some awesome trees.”
The 100-acre farm along the Oconto River doesn’t open up all of their activities – like wagon rides and concessions – until the day after Thanksgiving. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t been nurturing and preparing for opening day all year long.
“We start tagging trees for wholesale in the summer and then in the fall we start really ramping up getting ready for the holiday season,” Yeska said.
The excitement around that opening isn’t something the Yeska family thinks will disappear.
“The Friday after Thanksgiving is when things really start popping,” Yeska said. “We don’t expect that to be too different. What we expect to be different is people, I’m certain, are going to be a little more careful wearing face coverings. With the majority of our activities being outdoors, people can find a little normalcy.”
At Whispering Pines, size doesn’t matter if you’re cutting your own tree. Variety does.
“Balsam is our biggest seller and Frazier is very close behind. It ranges anywhere from about $36 to $65, depending on a variety,” Yeska said.
Their ‘choose-and-cut’ tree farm is open until December 23rd.
