With Thanksgiving over, you might start to see more cars topped with Christmas trees hitting the streets.
The day after Thanksgiving is a 鈥渂usy, busy day鈥� for Jerry, the 鈥渇resh-cut guy,鈥� running the chain saw at Butler鈥檚 Orchard farms in Montgomery County, Maryland.
鈥淚 love it out here, this is the best time of year for us. I get all the sap all over me and smell like Christmas trees for days,鈥� said Jerry.
鈥淵ou can’t have a candle that fakes the smell. It’s just not the same,鈥� said Ben Butler, one of the brothers who works at 鈥� nearly 40 acres of farmland where you can cut your own Christmas tree to bring home.
Ben is part of the third generation of Butlers to work on the land. He now enjoys watching other families experience the joy of cutting down their own Christmas trees 鈥� trees he spent years growing.
A storied past
鈥淢y grandparents who grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, [and] were in the same elementary school class together,鈥� said Ben Butler.
He said that nearly 70 years ago, his grandparents started the legacy of his family鈥檚 farm.
鈥淸They] fell in love. Got married in 1950. They knew of a peach orchard that was for sale, and here we are.鈥�
Now, with seven grandkids and the fourth generation of the family going strong, Butler hopes to keep it as a family-run business.
鈥淵ou know, my grandfather and grandmother could never have known what they had created when they started this,” he said.
The holiday season is known for being busy and full of family, and the Butler鈥檚 are no exception.
鈥淲e鈥檙e together a lot鈥�
Butler said they鈥檙e happy they can be busy, together.
鈥淔amily Harmony is a big piece of what we do.鈥�
Finding your tree
鈥淚t’s a piece of the Christmas puzzle that you have to have. The tree, of course, is so important, but the family memory and the experience of going out to the field looking through thousands of trees to pick the one that you guys can agree on the most,” Butler said. “That鈥檚 a thing that your kids won鈥檛 forget.鈥�
Emily let her husband do the heavy manual labor when her family traveled to the farm to grab their own Christmas tree to cut down.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to just show up at a store and walk away with a tree. We wanted to pick it out ourselves,鈥� she said.
Finding a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree is easy at Butler鈥檚 Orchard.
Once you grab a provided hand axe and cut down your chosen tree, the crew works to smooth the base of the tree down for the stand. Workers wrap the trees and tie them safely on top of your vehicle, so no tree gets left behind on the highway.
鈥淲e have people [come] from Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C. and all over Maryland,鈥� Jerry said.
You can visit the farm and cut your own tree every weekend until Christmas. The 40-acre farm also sells precut trees every day of the week.
鈥淚 just love the sense of freedom it gives me to go out here,鈥� Emily鈥檚 8-year-old daughter shared after picking out the family tree.
Butler said he hopes that his family can make holiday memories for other families.
鈥淲e invite you to our place to make an experience, make a memory,” he told 91欧美激情. “We are very lucky and happy to provide that to the community, and start a tradition, hopefully. It brings a lot of joy to see.鈥�
You can visit the for more details on how to reserve your tree-cutting spot.
