"For Meagan MacNeill, the new co-owner of River Wind Tree Farm in Lancaster, this year marked her very first season in the business. And as it turned out, she was unprepared, she said. Customers began gathering at 9 a.m., an hour before opening, eager to flood the fields and begin their search for the perfect tree. It was all-hands on deck for the MacNeills; Meagan assembled both her immediate and extended family to help out."
"The season began and closed in a flash. They sold out of cut-your-own trees the very next day, on Saturday, Nov. 29, and of pre-cut trees two weekends later. The one word Meagan used to describe the season? "Insanity," she said without missing a beat. "I think it's a new Olympic sport, getting the biggest and best Christmas tree," she added with a laugh."
Massachusetts Christmas tree farms operate on nearly 3,000 acres across 459 farms and contribute more than $4.5 million annually to the local economy. The season begins years before the holidays with planting and cultivation, but the retail window is short and intense. Strong customer demand produced a rapid surge this season, with shoppers arriving before opening and farms running all hands on deck. Many operations sold out of cut-your-own and pre-cut trees within days or weeks. New co-owners and small families struggled with the pace, and industry representatives reported faster sellouts than in pre-pandemic years.
Read at Boston.com
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