GREENFIELD — For thousands of years, possibly beginning with pagans in the fourth century — long before Christmas existed — evergreen trees and greenery was used to celebrate the gods.
However, when the Pilgrims made their way to Plymouth Rock, they were determined not to celebrate the holy events with special pleasures that were being celebrated in England and Europe. The colonists waited until the Germans began to celebrate with Christmas trees.
There is a tale that Martin Luther, a 16th-century theologian, gave us the Christmas tree as we know it. According to the story, he was walking through wintry woods on a brilliant starlit night and was so moved by its beauty that, when he arrived home, he set up an evergreen tree with candles to create that beauty for his family.
In the 19th century, it was Queen Victoria, who had German blood and a German husband, who spread the ritual of including decorated festive Christmas trees in celebrations to the United States.
Ever since Christmas trees became a delight and necessity for the season, there have been Christmas tree farms. Debbie Emerson, owner of the Emerson Family Christmas Tree Farm on Bernardston Road in Greenfield, has been growing and selling Christmas trees for 20 years. She grows a variety of trees from blue spruce, Fraser fir, balsam fir, Scotch pine and Korean pine.
Before buying a tree, visitors must stop at a small cabin to make the arrangements. This year, the sign on the door asks shoppers to come in through the side door and exit through the front door. Here, as everywhere, masks and social distancing is required.
When you enter the cabin there are twinkling lights, sparkling gifts, big bows, candle holders, kissing balls and other Christmas delights.
When customers come in, Emerson sends tree shoppers out into the field with instructions on getting the necessary tools.
Some shoppers are less interested in cutting their own trees, but large trees are available in the barn nearby, and right outside the cabin there is an array of smaller trees of many types.
Emerson has not always owned a Christmas tree farm. She spent most of her life growing plants.
“I started in Pittsfield as manager of a greenhouse that sold wholesale and retail. Then I worked at a garden center in Stockbridge and later at other greenhouses that worked year-round selling poinsettias or tulips and other seasonal plants. Then there was a hiatus, I retired from this work while I had my children — one boy Dalton, and then twin boys, Logan and Troy, the next year,” Emerson recounted. “It was 20 years ago that we bought this place when the boys were just 2 and 3. Logan, who lives nearby, often comes home on the weekends to help out.”
The cabin is a shop Emerson designed herself. She also chooses all the merchandise and makes the enticing arrangements.
“I’ve always been artistic, but it’s hard to make money as an artist,” she said.
This is the celebratory season, but Emerson explained there is work all year long.
“I plant 3-year-old seedling trees, water them and mow between them. When they are 5 years old, I start shearing them. I am always fertilizing and when the trees are between 7 and 9 years old, I start trimming them. Then they are ready to harvest,” she said. “Happily, there isn’t much to do in February and March. But this year things have been bad for the trees because of the drought. Actually, the last 5 years have been dry and that is hard on the trees.”
This year, Emerson expressed surprise at how well sales have going.
“The trees have sold really fast. By Dec. 1, I had sold almost 150 trees. That is very unusual,” she said.
The pandemic has made it impossible to have some of the usual treats that go with cutting down your own tree.
“This year, there are no tractor rides. There are no treats. It’s because of COVID. But you can go out and cut your own,” she continued. “People seem happy about that. There are lots more people this year who want to go out and cut down their own tree. I think it’s because people are so cooped up they want to go out and do something.”
She noted that dogs are also allowed on the farm — although owners must use leashes and clean up after them. For many customers, coming to the farm is an annual holiday tradition.
“People come with their kids, year after year,” she said, “and they come back to have their wedding pictures taken out in the field.”
Other Christmas tree farms in the region include: Wood’s Tree Farm on Country Club Road and Meadowcrest Christmas Tree Farm on Leyden Road in Greenfield; Kenburn Orchards on the Mohawk Trail in Shelburne; Couch Brook Farm on Couch Brook Road and Silvery Moon Farm on Brattleboro Road in Bernardston; Pieropan Christmas Tree Farm on Pfersick Road and Cranston’s Christmas Tree Farm on Baptist Corner Road in Ashfield; the Ripley Farm on West Chestnut Hill Road in Montague; and Kingsbury’s Christmas Trees on Sandgully Road North and Fox Hollow Farm on Conway Road in South Deerfield. Newly established this year is Branch View Farm on West Branch Road in Heath.
Pat Leuchtman has been writing and gardening since 1980. Her column, “Between the Rows,” was published weekly in the Recorder for about 40 years. Readers can leave comments at her website: commonweeder.com.