CHESTERLAND, Ohio — Sugar Pines Farm is in the heat of its season.
Since the 1980s, the farm has been a hot spot during the holiday season for live Christmas tree enthusiasts.
Tiffany Hansen and her family are some of those enthusiasts. For the last 12 years, she's gathered her family members to head to the farm.
"We wanted to cut down a Griswold family tree," she said. "We came to the place that had the biggest, tallest trees."
It's a lot more than just the tree selection that keeps Hansen and her loved ones coming back.
"It's the atmosphere itself," she said. "You've got the s mores, the kettle corn, all the things you can buy. It's just a family atmosphere."
That Christmas joy is why co-owner Jane Neubauer works hard year-round.
"It's a culmination of our year's work," she said.
Neubauer and her husband are in their 13th season of ownership. Throughout the year, she and her team work the farm's 100 acres to help grow a variety of Christmas trees. Additionally, the team is working to create a unique experience for families that includes visits from Santa, a hayride and s'mores.
"You can go buy a Christmas Tree in many different places, we know that," she said. "There's other farms, lots, but we like to think we provide the whole deal, the whole experience."
That's what seems to keep families coming back to the farm year after year. Several cars filled with families drove in right when the gates opened Sunday and stopped for a treat as they combed the aisles for a tree.
Neubauer said it's the sight of family togetherness and memories in the making that are her reward year after year.
"You grow a tree in the field for six or seven years," she said. "To know they are going to provide joy to a family at Christmas time. We love seeing pictures. We love to see what we grow and the joy that it's providing in people's home. That's awesome."
For the farm's hours and more, click here.
