How We Made Magical Memories in Search of the Perfect Tree

And the year it became harder to find.

This story was edited from its original version on 12/9/17. (Check it out for lots of extra photos!)

The first in my “Best of December” story series.

My Tree Farm Origin Story

In 1967, when I could still count my age on one hand, my dad, who had farmed his entire life, decided to try growing Christmas trees. He bought some land and planted 5 acres of seedlings—about 5000 trees. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Tree farm memories during my formative years are some of my fondest. We lined up scotch and white pines around the barn and pool fence, and we sold them to our local community for about $5-15 (yes, really!). I remember standing at Mom's sewing room window and yelling "There's a customer!" when I saw headlights shine in the yard. We’d all take turns running outside to help those in search of the perfect tree. Kingma’s Christmas Tree Farm was a small, humble business. But it grew.

In my teen years, I made a wreath for my mom using some scrap tree boughs, a metal ring, and some wire. I added a red bow and presented it with pride. Mom loved it! And Dad, being the businessman he always was, saw an opportunity for a money-making venture. After he suggested I make some to sell, I made five more, sold them for ten dollars each, and felt quite rich! 

By the next season, Dad had researched and bought wreath-making machines, equipment, and supplies. He added a full-fledged wreath-making operation to the then-growing tree business. Later, he would add "cut-your-own" trees along with hayrides out to the field. My brother Jon worked alongside Dad, and together they bought more equipment to improve the customer's experience. A tree-shaker shook out any dead needles, a baler wrapped the trees for easy hauling, and a special drill poked a hole in the tree trunk to allow the tree to fit easily onto the spike of the Easy Tree Stand.¹

My sister Phyllis also joined the business when she and my mother opened The Holly Shop in 1987. They sold gifts, angels, ornaments, tree and home decor, and other goodies. The "perfect tree" experience became even more perfect with hot cider, hot chocolate, and peanuts-in-the-shell, not to mention the surprise visits from Santa!

After they were married, Jon’s wife Diane became an integral part of the business. Besides helping in The Holly Shop, she and Phyllis were "ring-leaders" in the wreath room, which employed twelve wreath-making ladies who cranked out thousands of wreaths each year, many for school and church group fundraisers. Mom, our expert bow-maker, made hundreds of gorgeous handmade wreath bows each year for that extra special touch.

A Year-Round Business

Although Christmas time was busy, the tree farm was a year-round endeavor. My parents attended Midwest, State, and National summer tree-grower meetings. Dad had become a dealer for shearing knives and other equipment, which he displayed and sold at conventions. We also cared for the trees in spring and summer to ready them for the following season.

Each spring, we planted new seedlings. Since it takes about seven years for a tree to mature, Dad and Jon had to forecast the number of trees they would need seven years into the future.

In early June, we trimmed the trees. I have fond memories of the big tree-trimming crews (i.e. my siblings, cousins, and our high school friends), sweating and getting sunburnt in the tree field all day, and then being rewarded with a swim in the pool afterward. Later, we’d pass this job on to the next generation, as my children, nieces, and nephews joined the tree-trimming crews. In August, we tagged and sprayed the trees that would be ready for cutting in November.

The trees at Kingma’s eventually gained notoriety, as more than once, Dad provided trees for the Indiana Governor’s mansion. He brought trees to the offices of senators and representatives in the Indiana State Capitol building and even sent a tree to former Vice President Dan Quayle’s office in Washington, D.C. As a way of giving back, Dad sent twenty trees each year for ten years to our military families overseas as part of the “Trees for Troops” program.

The tree business became a huge part of Dad’s overall farming operation, which also included crop farming of corn and soybeans. And while the tree business added an extra specialness to the season for our family, it also added an incredible amount of work. Dad and Mom, along with Phyllis and her girls, and Jon and Diane and their kids, often worked from dawn to dusk throughout most of November and December. Dad was often on the road by 3:00 a.m. making wholesale deliveries. Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas were an all-out production, as they sold up to 250 trees a day to customers from all around—often as far as Chicago. Each family was intent on cutting the perfect tree.

End in Sight

In 2017, my Dad was 83. He loved to be out on the farm interacting with the customers and working with the trees. But his endurance and balance were declining. Additionally, my mom had Alzheimer's and Dad had to check on her frequently and assist with housework and meals. Several years earlier, after much soul-searching and debate, Jon and Diane, as well as my sister Phyllis, had decided they couldn’t manage the tree business after Mom and Dad retired. And so, with the future closing of the business in mind, Dad had stopped planting new trees a few years earlier.

It had been fifty years since Dad planted those first trees. Fifty years of planting, trimming, tagging, spraying, cutting, and selling. Nearly that many years of wreaths, decor, gifts, and other goodies.

2017 was the last year that Kingma's Christmas Tree Farm opened for business.

If strength is in numbers, then it was a strong business. Eventually, my Dad had over 200 acres of scotch pine, white pine, and Fraser firs. During peak years, one season could bring the sale of over 4,000 wreaths, many for fundraisers, over 10,000 trees wholesale, and another 1,200 retail on the farm. I made some rough estimates and figured over the years, Dad sold over 300,000 trees and 100,000 wreaths. Yes, the numbers tell a story of strength and success. But they don't tell the entire story.

Magical Memories, Treasured Traditions

They don't tell the story of families spending a cold and snowy (or warm and sunny) day in November or December every year for many years, out on the farm making memories…

…Families excitedly riding on the hay wagon. 

…Kids romping through the rows of trees to help pick out that "perfect" one. 

…Dads getting down on their knees with the saw, yelling "timber" just before it falls.

…Young men sawing the tree down for the first time. 

…Moms snapping photos for their scrapbooks. 

…Young couples getting their first tree together. 

…Everyone meeting Santa, eating peanuts, and sipping hot cocoa. 

Best of all were the kids whose eyes lit up with the magic of it all. One of those kids was me. And then one of those kids was one of my kids. The magic of the tradition lived on from generation to generation.

Kingma's Christmas Tree Farm made magical memories and allowed countless families to carry on their traditions for fifty years. It was hard to say goodbye. But we knew there were other tree farms ready to do business, and those in search of the perfect tree (including me) would eventually find one. 

It was time to pass the torch and change up the traditions, but never to stop making memories in search of the perfect tree. 

1. These stands are a game-changer. Super simple, always straight. Here’s a link to the type of tree stand I’m referring to (doesn’t have to be this specific brand).