Some Minnesota Christmas tree farms are already open for business: "It's 4 weeks of a lot of fun"
It's a sign that the holidays are upon us: some Minnesota Christmas tree farms opened their doors on Friday.
It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but as soon as Kavan Christmas Tree Farm in Lino Lakes opened at 9 a.m., customers were ready.
"It's a beautiful day today. What more can you do on a beautiful morning like this than come out and pick out a Christmas tree," said customer Craig McNulty.
"Last year I think we came in on the last day, so we wanted to get it started a little earlier and celebrate the holidays for longer this year," said customer Lily Jones.
Owner Steve Kavan formerly worked in finance, but he started planting trees seven years ago on his farm and opened for the first time last year. This season, he has more than 1,300 Christmas trees available.
"You're working all year to kind of get this ready, and then it's four weeks of a lot of fun," Kavan said.
He said the dry growing conditions in 2023 and 2024 didn't impact his trees very much, and he believes the quality this year is some of the best he's seen.
As prices have gone up for gift-buying, Kavan said his farm and others have kept costs consistent with previous years.
"Our prices start from a reasonable $75 for a 6-foot tree and go up from there based on height and species," Kavan said.
And he believes trees bought this early, especially Frasers and balsams, will last through the holidays — as long as they get a fresh cut and are watered regularly.
"We all take turns being on watering duty, so our office really comes together," said customer Katie Krueger. "It's our little baby for the next month and a half here."
"It's a fun memory," Kavan said. "A fun family time and it's fun to be a part of that."
Kavan said last year they were so busy they ran out of trees. This year, they have mostly pre-cut, but also a variety of cut-your-own trees.