Plants Beautiful Christmas Trees

It’s been drier and warmer then usual this holiday season, as far as the weather and snow goes.  Up until last week we still had temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s!  The ponds are just starting to freeze over now.  But finally it’s starting to feel like winter in Minnesota!  It’s cold today, but there is a beautiful layer of snow on the ground and hoarfrost on everything.  It’s stunning outside today.  Really a winter wonderland!.

Today marks the beginning of our second big weekend with Santa and horse drawn wagon rides (there is still not enough snow for the sleigh).  Our photographers and other elfs are already at the shop keeping busy with the early bird customers, and they will be there until 6 tonight.

Like I said, it’s cold today, but really beautiful.  So bundle up and come on out!  We have hot drinks to warm up with after cutting your christmas tree, or you can check out the nice selection of fresh pre-cut trees we have available in our green house!

Hope to see you there!

Forest had some time off recently and the weather was fairly nice, so we decided to go out and find our tree. We still have yet to set it up, but here is some photo blogging of our trip out to the fields.

The kids are ready to go! Come on mom!

We headed out to the fields. My daughter found some old binoculars and of course had to use them in her attempt to find the perfect Christmas tree. Surprisingly the kids shared those binoculars really well.:)

Here’s Forest getting up close and personal with the colorado spruce field. We decided that this would be the best tree for us. They are so pokey that the kids think twice before pulling on the tree or trying to climb it. I love all different kids of trees and I change what I want every year. Sometimes big and full, something skinny with more space. We went for skinny and more space this year as I liked the idea of all the room for viewing ornaments.

And here’s our tree!
It’s probably about 12′ tall. Our ceiling is 10′ so we have a lot of space to fill, but I guess I had Forest cut a little more then we really needed. I guess it’s better to have to much then to little right?

I’m so excited about getting our tree into the house. We just have to get the space prepared in the living room and we’ll be ready for set up and decorations. The kids are excited and we just love having that fresh smell in the house. Hurray For Real Trees!

The last couple of years we have been offering photographer services on the big weekends and making those pictures instantly available to people.  This year I took the kids out so we could get some nice photos for Christmas cards.  I think they turned out really nice.

You can get the pictures taken outside or with Santa (we opted for the great outdoors since it was nice and they have those cute matching hats).  The photographers will be available at the shop the 27th, 28th & 29th of November, the 5th & 6th and the 12th & 13th of December.  So be sure when you come and get your live tree or fresh wreath, that you also check out our photo station in the shop and talk to whom ever happens to be there.  They’ll be able to give you more information about pricing and will be able to set you up with a photographer if you want family portraits taken.

Yesterday Forest and I woke up before 5 and were talking about all the cooking we had planned for the day. Of course, we probably wouldn’t have been awake that early had the kids not also been awake. But it was fun to start planning early. We got right up and started getting things like the mashed potatoes started and our sweet potatoes. We were also in charge of the tofurkie (because half of the family is vegetarian), stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. All of which really didn’t take that much time to get fixed up. We headed over to the other farm and Lowell and Audrey’s house for our meal and to met up with the rest of the Dittberner family.

We had a big and wonderful meal and it was great to connect with the family. After dinner we went out to get Lowell and Audrey their Christmas tree. They decided on a Colorado Spruce this year, for the kids sake. Colorado spruce is a family favorite for when we have little kids in the house. They are very pokey so the little ones don’t want to try and pull on it or climb it. I think I got a nice shot of Forest and his folks with their tree. My son is in the front there but my daughter (who’s 6) decided to be goofy was hiding behind the tree.

We brought the tree back and got it set up right away. The kids decorated with some help from their grandparents. It looks beautiful and kept shocking even us with how strong it smelled. Wonderful! I can hardly wait to get my tree set up!

Setting the tree up on Thanksgiving has been a Dittberner family tradition for many years. Mostly because these next couple of weeks are the busiest weeks in our whole year and there isn’t time for setting up a tree except on Thanksgiving.

This weekend is our first really big weekend. We’ve got wagon rides going today, Santa arrives at noon and is available until 4pm for pictures and nice little chat with the kids. We also have a photo station open and photographers available to take family photos. And you can get copies to take home as prints or on a CD.

The farm will be buzzing today with lots of excitement and family fun, so come down and let us become a part of your families Christmas traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

It seems like every year we’re adding something new and exciting to the christmas tree farm.  This year we’ve put the elves to work building a big haystack for the kids to play on.  And as you can see by the pictures it’s big enough for the adults to climb with the kids as well.

My 2 and 6 year olds have had a blast playing on this mountain of hay!  Be sure to check it out when you come by.  You can’t miss it when you drive in.  It’s located on the left side of the road right after the welcome center (to the left and towards the back of the shop).  So after you’ve gotten your tree you can go out there with a cup of hot apple cider (or this year we also have hot chocolate, coffee and cappuccino available) and enjoy watching as your kids get out some of that extra energy.

We’re Open Folks!

I’ve just returned from the shop, full and bustling with all our elves putting the last minute touches on everything and making sure it’s just right. The weather is absolutely beautiful out and perfect for getting started on decorating the house or cutting a tree.

We’ve got apple cider heating and this year we’ve added hot chocolate and cappuccino to our beverages. And you can also purchase hot dogs for roasting around the bonfire. And be sure to check out the new haystack that we built for the kids! (My 6 and 2 year old love it!)

We’re open everyday (except Thanksgiving) from 9am until 6pm from now until Christmas!

So come enjoy this beautiful weekend and get your holiday shopping done early before the rush.

Here is another wonderful addition to our online store this year, wild rice and maple syrup! Both of the items are Minnesota grown and harvested. These two items make beautiful gifts for those you love or for yourself! Click on the pictures (or links) to access our online store and find out more about ordering.

Minnesota Grown Wild Rice

This wild rice is hand harvested by our family and some of our friends! We collect the wild rice in canoes on fresh water lakes and the possessing is done over wood fire giving it a wonderful taste and making it fast cooking. We have wild rice available in three different sizes, 1 pound, 2 pounds and 5 pounds. This is a personal one of our personal family favorites and great for the holidays!

Minnesota Grown Maple Syrup

Mhhhhh! Pure maple syrup is a treat that everyone should experience! We get this maple syrup from family friends who harvest and process the syrup right on their farm. This too is cooked down over wood fire which gives it that much more flavor. This maple syrup comes in four different sizes, half pint in a leaf decanter (as shown above), regular half pint, pint and quart. Just imagine pancakes on Christmas morning with real maple syrup on top. Yum!