It is dusk at Wagoner's Christmas Tree Farm and the Hampton family is scouring the 20,000 trees looking for that perfect Scotch pine.
"I'm just here to cut the tree," said Jeff Hampton, a Greencastle resident. "[My wife Karen] knows where she wants the tree and what size," he chuckled. His two kids Ben and Mary scampered around the hilly terrain pointing out their favorite trees. "How 'bout this one daddy ... or this one."
After narrowing the tree candidates down to one, six and a half-foot Scotch pine, Hampton was ready to cut, with a little help from his son. He slid the saw back and forth, saving the last cut for seven-year-old Ben.
After the tree was down, Karen grabbed one side and Jeff got the other. Then they headed back to the office to get hot chocolate and cookies.
It sounds too good to be true, but these are the sights owners Alan and Peggy Royer see every Christmas.
"Wagoner's was a Greencastle landmark then and now," said current owner Alan Royer as he walks towards his office. An army green Indiana Department of Natural Resources jacket along with a blue-gray flannel shirt protected Royer from the falling snow. When the Royers bought the farm in 1985, they kept the name of Wagoner's to continue the tradition.
"Everyone knew Paul as such a wonderful man," Royer said. "Changing the name would sort of be like changing the name of McDonald's," he said with a small smile. Besides the farm name, there's no doubt that the sprit of Wagoner continues through Royer's humble personality.
Ironically, the farm was never intended for Christmas trees. It all started back in 1955, when landowner Paul Wagoner decided to plant some pine trees to prevent soil erosion on the hillside. When the trees grew, Wagoner allowed a few of his co-workers to cut a pine for Christmas. He sold his first tree for $2.50. Then someone mentioned that he could make a lot more money than that. By the early 1960s, Wagoner opened a Christmas tree farm and business boomed.
The few pines to help erosion, now amount to 20,000 pines for the Royer family. Along with taking care of the tree farm, Alan and Peggy both have other jobs. Not surprisingly, they both deal with nature. Alan is a forester for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Peggy works in DePauw's greenhouse.
"Our two careers go hand in hand with growing Christmas trees," Royer said.
The pines that canvas the hilly terrain, northwest of Greencastle, bring green life amidst the brown and muted colors of the surrounding forest. The countless rows of hand-planted and hand-sheered trees form a maze for children to run in amidst a snowy background. The parents walk peacefully behind, breathing in every aroma of pine. Scotch Pine, White Pine, Austrian Pine, Douglas Fir and Norway Spruces scatter the 180-acre lot.
"We've been coming out here for 15 years," said Kathy Lenihan. "It's a family tradition to come on the first Sunday of December after church." Three restless children were packed into her Dodge Durango. Her son Joseph held up a full red knit cap.
"We got pine cones," he said with a smile and little bit of hot chocolate still clinging to his upper lip.
"We'll paint those and make ornaments," Lenihan said. She took a last gaze back across the frozen, yet lively, green pine landscape. "It's so beautiful and the smell is wonderful."
Come Christmas time, the Royers normally sell 800 trees wholesale to retailers and another 1,000 to individual families. Normally, the trees cost $20 to $35, depending on size and type. To replace all the sales, Alan and Peggy, along with their two daughters and son hand-plant about 2,500 new seedlings a year.
The barely foot-tall new trees will be ready in about seven years for the current college-aged generation, some of who now lend a helping hand to the Royers during busy weekends. Paul Jedele's helping hands are covered in pinesap and dirt, but that doesn't bother him.
"It's a blast just to be working outdoors all day," he said. "The best thing is you get to socialize and meet all different kinds of people."
"Those 15-foot spruces can be tough to bundle," said another helper, Duane Campbell. "[But] it's a pretty cool scene when families get out there; the kids all running around. Every once in a while you'll see a football flying out over the trees."
The Royers appreciate all the help they can get.
"This could easily be a full time job," Royer said as he rubbed his hands together from the cold. "There's a lot of people who [incorrectly] think you just plant the tree and seven years later it's perfect."
That's far from the truth. It takes up to two and a half months for the Royers just to hand-sheer every tree. "Pines don't naturally find a Christmas tree shape," he said.
But, all the hard work pays the Royers back in late November and December when they get to share their family with thousands of other people coming to find a Christmas tree. From Indianapolis, Plainfield and even as far as Anderson, Indiana, city and suburb families drive out to the country and follow the winding gravel road to choose and cut their Christmas trees. A wood stove oven heats the office room where hot chocolate and jars of homemade marmalade await the eager and chilled 'Treesmen for a Day'.
The Tesmer Family makes the entire event a family reunion. "Every year they all come out, bothers and sisters and in-laws, and they tailgate," Royer said. "By the time they're done, they go home with about eight or 10 Christmas trees."
The Royers also provide another treat. For 10 fortunate customers, they hide a message saying the tree is free. The message expresses the true meaning of Christmas: good faith and goodwill. Some wealthier customers who found the special trees were so moved by the message, that they gave up their free trees to families who least afford them.
"Somehow, every year those trees end up in the hands of those who really need them," Royer said.
With such comfortable surroundings and family spirit at a farm, it's surprising that more families buy fake trees over the real ones.
According to a 2000 survey conducted by the National Christmas Tree Association, 46 million U.S. households will purchase or use a fake Christmas tree compared to 36 million families buying a real tree.
Royer said he has not noticed a decline in sales, but he knows many older customers eventually prefer the easier fake trees. Along with the ease, some customers also opt to buy the green plastic trees for environmental reasons. From that end, Royer said sales of live potted Christmas trees increase every year.
"They are over twice the amount of money, but people get to save a tree and add to their landscape after Christmas."
The National Christmas Tree Association survey also noted 22 million households don't plan to have a tree in 2000. Jamie Davidhizar loved going every year to cut down a tree with her family, but for the first time in many, she'll miss out on the usual fun. Working in Greencastle for only a year, Davidhizar said her small apartment "isn't quite tree-worthy yet."
"My mom says I should get a small tree to make the place more festive," she said. "But, it's just me. I like other people to enjoy it too."
She did buy a wreath for her door, however.
"At least the mailman gets to see that." And as for the Christmas tree aroma, Davidhizer has already bought some pine-scented glade plug-ins.
Back at the farm, the Royers have their own natural pine smell in the back yard. They also enjoy the wildlife that makes its home among the many trees. Every spring, thousands of chirping songbirds and robins fill the trees and the air. The Royers also use the natural habitat to host other events during the year.
In September, 'Women in the Outdoors', sponsor professional programming to teach women archery, canoeing and various other wildlife management skills. The Royers also welcome a field trip of local Tzouanakis Elementary students, who learn and study the trees for a day. Each year, they all donate a dollar and buy a live pine tree to plant at the school.
"You go out to Tzouanakis today and you see the growing layers of trees from each year," Peggy said.
Although the natural habitat can bring joy to the Royers, some of the wildlife can cause the sort of tree problems that always lead families to turn that 'bad part of the tree' towards the wall. Zimmerman Pine Moths, Pine Beatles, Pales Weavels top Royer's list of pesky problems. These insects drill, chew and deaden branches, especially among the younger trees.
Deer can also be a nuisance to the trees. Frequently, they rub their new antlers up and down the trunk, tearing up the branches. Royer remembers one such tree he had planned to eventually cut down and burn.
"It was definitely the ugliest tree out of the whole farm," he said. So it shocked him when on one day a lady said "it's perfect, that's the one I want."
Royer stared back with eyes wide of amazement.
"You want that tree?"
"Yes," she replied. "It's Charlie Brown's Christmas tree." It turned out her son was acting in a high school production of 'Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.' Royer's mangled tree was a perfect match for the children's classic. "I'll give it to you to for free, on one condition," Royer said. "Just don't tell anyone where you got it from."