They came, they saw, they decorated
Sussex County - “People drive all the way from New York City to get their Christmas trees at Shale Hill Farm, “ says owner Mike Garrett, looking paternally at the frost-starred expanse of pines, firs, and spruces that rise rank upon rank up the hill behind his 19th century farm house in the high hills just off School Pond Road in Wantage. “When we have snow, people flock in wanting a real, old-fashioned, northern New Jersey Christmas.” The scent of balsam and pine rides in on the gusts that rustle the leaves of the golden willows overhanging the banks of the farm pond. White ducks dive after their reflections. High above, a pair of red-tailed hawks gyres. From the restored 19th-century barn come the cries of peacocks and the bleating of sheep. The medieval strains of the Friendly Beasts carol plays in the background. “I love traditional Christmas music,” Garrett says, as he prepared for the post-Thanksgiving tree season. “We’re bringing in more farm animals today and tomorrowchickens, sheep, pigs, donkeys, goats, a pony,” he went on. “People will come into the heated barn to pet the animals and warm up. “Over there behind the house, we’ll be serving cookies and hot chocolate. We call it the Candy Cane Cottage.” By the time the Christmas season ends, families will have taken home more than 2,000 Christmas trees from Shale Hill. In New Jersey every year, Christmas tree growers sell about 600,000 trees. Garrett said that business had picked up after 9/11. “In 2001, people wanted to stay home in New Jersey for Christmas, and they wanted Christmas trees. I thought the trend might be temporary, but it has continued, and each year we sell more trees,” he said. Garrett charges a flat $56 per tree plus tax no matter how big it is. He provides a bow saw for customers who don’t bring one. He does not allow power saws. This year, Garrett also is offering ready-cut Fraser firs that he raises on another farm in western Pennsylvania. “We can’t grow the Frasers here, because they’re like deer candy,” he said, noting that he lost about 1,000 pine and spruce seedlings this year to hungry deer and another 3,000 to the late summer drought. “In spring, sometimes the bucks will come and rub off the velvet off their antlers on a six- or seven-foot tall tree and take off the entire side,” he said. “Losing a tree that size is a heavy loss it takes about 11 years for the trees to grow to Christmas-tree size.” Giving trees the perfect arrowhead shape that says “Christmas tree” is a fine art, Garrett says. Wielding a shining blade that looks more like a Hobbit sword than a pruning tool, Garrett demonstrates by trimming a concolor fir with precisely angled swaths. The severed twigs give off the lemon scent that draws people to this shapely bluish tree. Hand-shearing is labor intensive, and every tree must be sheared at least a dozen or more times, but Garrett says, it gives each tree a unique look that can’t be achieved with mechanical pruning. The Garrett family has owned the farm since 1961, but it has been under cultivation since before the American Revolution. A copy of the original deed from the English crown hangs in the Garrett farmhouse. Not only is Shale Hill historic, but also it is the only Christmas Tree Farm in Northern New Jersey to be designated a wildlife sanctuary. The farm is home to wild turkey, great blue herons, ospreys, pileated woodpeckers, Canada Geese, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, red and grey foxes, bobcats, and a score of white-tailed deer, some friendly enough to pet. “While most tree farms actively encourage hunting, we prohibit both trapping and small-game hunting at Shale Hill.” For the past two years, Shale Hills Farm trees have won “best of fair” awards at the New Jersey State Fair. To Garrett, the farm is more than a business. To illustrate that point, he tells a story about a romance that bloomed among the evergreens a few years ago. “A man who had met his future fiancée here while cutting a tree, decided to bring her back here to propose,” Garrett says. “We helped him set up a tree with lights and ornaments, where he led his astonished sweetheart. A box with an engagement ring was under the tree.” The farm is open on weekends through Christmas from 9:30 a.m. until dark. For more information, visit www.shalehillsfarm.com or call 973-875-4231.