CENTERVIEW – After 42 years, Christmas Tree Hill farm hosted its last barn event on Nov. 26.
“I turned my keys in for teaching last May and now I’m turning my keys in for Christmas Tree Hill,” owner Juanita Peaslee said.
Peaslee, who is also a retired Crest Ridge High School teacher, planted her first Christmas tree in 1981 with her late husband, John. Peaslee said the idea to start a Christmas tree farm came from the 20 acres of unused land she and her husband owned and neighbors who had a tree farm of their own.
“Our neighbors had a Christmas tree farm and we became acquainted with them and so we decided to start one,” Peaslee began. “With their help, lots of patience and hard work, we came to this point.”
Peaslee said once they began selling the trees on their property, they received an outpouring of support from their community. They helped customers find and cut their chosen Christmas tree and offered wreaths, hot chocolate, and other treats in their barn. Visiting the Christmas Tree Hill farm became an experience and a tradition for many families in the community.
“People are now beginning to realize this is the last and there are mixed emotions about it,” Peasley said. “I’ve had several generations of a family come get their trees here. So, mom and dad come with their kids, their kids come with their kids.”
The farm also meant a lot to Peaslee’s family. Her granddaughter, Jessica Paxton, described the farm as a magnet for their family. She said as a child, she spent every summer with Peaslee, helping her with the farm. As an adult, she can only make it around the holidays but it’s a time when the entire family gathers and helps Peaslee with the farm. Paxton said the end of the farm and its barn event is bittersweet.
“There’s 40 years of beautiful memories for both the family and the community,” Paxton said. “That’s hard to say goodbye to but my grandma is 91 now, so I’m a little relieved that she’s slowing down and deciding to take some time for herself.”
Peaslee said the farm used to have thousands of trees at a time but now they are down to 500 or 600. She hasn’t planted any Christmas trees in the past four years, partly due to drought.
“The weather has changed,” Peaslee said. “We can’t water the plants, so we’re dependent upon the water from the sky and it’s been different. We just haven’t been able to keep a rotation going.”
Peaslee said she starts planting in March or April and the trees are fine until the summer months when they receive less water. She said that’s when most of them die. The trees must also withstand other elements.
“A lot of things happen to a tree between the time it’s planted and the time we sell it,” Peaslee said. “There’s all kinds of insects, fungus, mowing — I mow off a bunch when I don’t intend to. It takes about eight years for a tree to become manageable to sell. it’s a lot of hard work to dig them in the ground and then watch them die.”
Peasly said she’s tired and wants to spend her time with her family, who are out of state. She said she is thankful to the community for their support throughout the years.
“I just thank everybody,” Peaslee said. “I’m going to miss them. They’ve been faithful to us.”
Although Peaslee will no longer offer the Christmas Tree Hill barn experience, she said those who want Christmas trees can still get them. She said it will be a self-service process. The farm, 668 NW 250 Road in Centerview, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 2-10 or until the trees are gone. Self-service instructions will be left in the barn, along with twine and saws.
Annelia Nixon can be reached at 660-747-8123.
