In a world where it keeps getting harder and harder to decipher things that look real as opposed to things that are real (ie., graphics on video games), it’s nice to see many families are still interested in trudging through the snow in the bone-rattling cold to garner a real Christmas tree.

 

And that means a good business for area Christmas tree farms.

 

Trent Johnson and his dad, Brad, are co-owners of B&J evergreen in Clear Lake and Princeton. They also have metro lots in Richfield, downtown Minneapolis, Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park.

 

B&J Evergreen has been in operation in Central Minnesota for over 40 years.  They have a huge variety of trees on their 200-acre farm that include choose-and-cut trees like Fraser and Balsam firs, White and Scotch pines and blue spruces. Their pre-cut trees include Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, White Pine, Scotch Pine.

 

Their prices range from $32.99 on up depending on kind, size and quality. They also sell greenery including wreaths, swags, garland, spruce tips, red dogwood, birchwood and decorative pots.

 

Trent says B&J’s does most of their Christmas tree selling on the three weekends following Thanksgiving.

 

After the Christmas rush is over, Trent and his staff start clearing out old stumps and plan and prepare for spring planting.

 

“A lot of foresight goes into this business that many people don’t know about,” said Trent. “It takes 10-12 years for one of our Christmas trees to grow, so it’s like we are making decisions today for something we can’t market and sell for over a decade.”

 

Workers at B&J’s also use the time after Christmas to get things done around the shop and take care of equipment. Come April and May, they start fertilizing and planting new trees and tend to the trees already planted. The business also sells a lot of landscape trees (broadleaved and evergreens) for landscaping companies.

 

“All summer long, our staff trims our trees by hand,” said Trent. “That’s a lot of labor but we like our trees to look their best.”

 

B&J’s has visits from Santa Claus, horse-drawn hayrides, campfires, a recycled tire playground, a petting zoo, horse rides, dog sled rides and a wishing tree.

 

B&J Evergreen’s hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends and they are located at 12946 47th St. SE in Clear Lake Twp.

 

Jan Donelson of Jan’s Christmas Trees in Clear Lake has had a good Christmas selling season. She has sold nearly 2,000 cut-your-own trees since the middle of November on her 70-acre farm and has thousands more that are pre-cut and on display in various sizes from six feet to 18 feet.

 

Pricing starts at $39.99 and she has a large variety of pines (Scotch, White, Norway), spruce (White, Colorado Blue, Myers) and firs (Balsam, Korean, Fraser). She plans to feature Siberian firs in the future.

 

Following the Christmas season, Jan and her staff do their budget planning, compare tree sales, connect with customers and begin attending conventions to keep abreast of trends. Come April and May, they get out and clean up all the fields and prepare the land for re-planting.

 

“Many people don’t realize how much work we do to get our product to be top-notch and give our customers the best choices,” said Jan. “It’s important to remind people we are subjective and we listen to what people want and do the best to get it for them.”

 

Jan says people need to understand how weather affects her business, not just during the selling season.

 

“We love to see nice, consistent snow cover throughout the winter so it acts as insulation,” she says. “Come spring if it’s too warm too quickly, sometimes we get needle burn due to the reflected sun. This business has taught me a lot about things outside of just selling the product.”

 

Jan’s business also works year-round to provide landscaping trees and shrubs. She hires 20-30 teens during the summer, fall harvest and retail-heavy seasons.

 

Jan’s also features visits by Santa Claus via helicopter, horse-drawn wagon rides, blacksmith and tomahawk throws, a straw pile and play area and bonfires everyday.

 

She has a gift shop that would be the envy of just about any small retail store. For Christmas she has ornaments, lights, wall hangings, wreaths, decorations and artwork. In the middle of the store stands a giant Fraser fir tree adorned with dozens of fancy ornaments, lights, ribbons and trinkets.

 

One of Jan’s most unique items that people are “flocking” to her store for are the painted Christmas trees. These trees aren’t spray-painted but “colorized” in a special process that makes it appear the tree grew that way. Many of the most popular colored trees are the pink ones that people buy in honor of a cancer victim — or the blue ones to honor law enforcement.

 

“People are buying the purple ones too to honor their favorite football team or to honor Prince,” Jan said. “We don’t know if this is going to be a one or two-year fad or if it’ll be a mainstay.”

 

Jan has been in business for over 36 years. Her business is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday and they are located at 12519 37th St., SE in Clear Lake Twp.