BY LUCIE KRISMAN
Sherry Crawford has recently seen growth in the number of families creating memories by picking out a live Christmas tree together.
"There seems to be more people who want to go back to that tradition of going out in the field and cutting trees with their families," she said.
She and her husband, Cris, are ready for customers to make new family memories this year as the couple opened Evening Star Pines for the season this past Friday, marking their 35th year of selling live Christmas trees.
The tree farm at 9820 Evening Star Road will be open from 9 to 5 on weekends. Scotch pine, white pine and white spruce trees are available, as well as Fraser fir trees that are shipped from Michigan since they don't grow in Kansas.
Trees range from $50 to $80. Once a tree is picked out, employees at Evening Star Pines load the tree or tie it to the car for the customer.
Cris Crawford prepares the trees to be sold while Sherry Crawford makes the wreaths. Cris Crawford said both have gotten increasingly popular, and they have sold out every year for the last several years.
"We’re selling in between 600 and 700 trees, counting the shipped in ones," he said. "The real Christmas tree has gotten so popular in the last several years. That's part of the reason there is such a shortage now."
Nationally, nearly 33 million real Christmas trees were purchased in 2018, a 20% increase from the prior year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. About 24 million new fake trees were purchased last year.
Sherry Crawford said the incentives of picking a real tree as opposed to a fake one include the eco-friendly nature of live trees, the fact that they aren't toxic, the family tradition of setting out to find a tree and how live trees smell.
"I just love how it smells when you walk in," she said.
Aside from Christmas trees and wreaths, customers can find free hot chocolate and candy canes. They can also shop for holiday treats like jellies and dog treats in Evening Star Pines' gift shop.
This year, this gift shop has a new addition. What was once the shop's front porch is now an enclosed storefront with two sleighs.
"We kind of doubled our size," Cris Crawford said. "I wanted to get these sleighs out where I could show them off."
The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest time of the year for the Crawfords.
However, the trees are planted in the spring and fall and are mowed, sheared, watered accordingly and shaped all year long leading up to being sold in November and December. This year, there were between 400 and 500 replants, she said.
"In June, you begin shearing the trees," she said. "Then you plant seedlings in the fall and spring."
"It's kind of a year-round thing," Cris Crawford said. "Everybody thinks it's a two-week deal, but it's not."
Cris Crawford also trims the tree used for Eudora's annual tree lighting event every year for free. The Crawfords also donate to the Eudora Lions Club the proceeds from the fee charged to photographers who use their farm as a backdrop.
Cris Crawford said one of the best parts of running Evening Star Pines is seeing children come with their families each year.
"It's fun seeing all the kids come out, everybody picking trees and running around," he said. "A lot of them have never seen horse-drawn sleighs. These are from the late 1800s so a lot of them have never seen anything like that."
Sherry Crawford said she also enjoys seeing children getting to experience things they have not before during their time on the farm.
"Most of them live in the suburbs and aren't used to this," she said. "They see all this ground, and they just run."
Cris Crawford said ultimately the goal is making it as simple as possible for customers to find their tree and load it with ease.
"Everything to make getting and putting up a real tree easy, that's what we try to provide," he said.
Christy Runnfeldt, who drove in from Overland Park with her family Sunday to visit Evening Star Pines, said her family values making memories when finding a live tree each year.
"We think it's great," Runnfeldt said. "There are lots of trees to choose from. We usually cut our tree down every year."
Evening Star Pines customer Stephanie Vogl of Turner said she prefers live trees to fake ones and enjoys the tradition of looking for a tree with her family.
"I just love the smell, and I love everything about a real tree," Vogl said. "We actually have a fake tree, and we still come and get a real tree. The real tree we put the good ornaments on, it sits in the living room and we do Christmas morning around the real tree."
Leah McKune of Olathe also made the trip to Evening Star Pines with her family after getting a recommendation from friends and said she is pleased with what she found.
"We have some friends who said this was a great place to come," McKune said. "They have a decent mix of trees, and I think it's good that they have cut-your-own and pre-cut so you can go either way."
After 35 years of selling Christmas trees to Eudora and surrounding communities, Sherry Crawford said she and her husband are nowhere near ready to stop.
"He just loves it," she said. "When I ask him when he wants to quit, he says never."
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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