Hanauer’s Tree Farms in the town of Richmond has been a family-owned business for 46 years and is holding its second straight Cut Your Own Christmas Tree weekend.
The farm owned by Dan Hanauer Jr. and his mother, Veronica, began sales Friday which will run through Sunday. Additional dates are Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 13-14. His wife, Julie, also coordinates business with assistance from their 16-year-old son, Jack, and daughter, Sophie, 11.
If the initial launch of the cut-your-own tree program last year is any indication, it will be another successful year, Hanauer said.
“Last year it was wonderful. It was our first year, and we were actually surprised by the extent of the trees we sold,” Hanauer said. “As far as the number of the people that came, we were quite busy. We don’t really disclose how much we sold, but we had a larger turnout than what we expected.”
The business opted to create the event when people began expressing interest in tossing the artificial tree in favor of a more “green alternative,” he said.
“There seems to be more interest in people cutting their own Christmas tree, because it gives people the chance to get back to nature and go out with the kids and have a really nice family experience,” he said.
The farm offers four species of trees: Fraser fir, spruce, balsam and pine.
“We have hay rides on a tractor that circulates the entire farm … you can select the tree and put it on the wagon,” Hanauer said. “They can roam the entire farm and spend as much time as they want and pick what tree they want. We have people that are here for five minutes, and we have people that spend more than an hour.”
Hanauer said care is needed before customers can start putting on lights, garland and ornaments in preparation for Christmas.
“The number one key is a fresh cut and keep the tree trunk in water; and then, the secondary thing is to keep it away from a window where the sun bakes in, or away from a heat source, such as a fireplace,” Hanauer said.
Tree prices vary based on species, with Fraser as the most expensive at $46.50, and the pine coming in at $27.50.
While 10 feet is the tallest people can cut during the sale, they offer 15-foot pre-cut trees, with some available at Hanauer’s tree stand Qualheim’s True Value on Green Bay Street in Shawano. The average height is 8 feet tall.
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