Of all the holiday traditions, decorating a Christmas tree has undoubtedly snagged more screen time than any other. Somehow, making eggnog, wrapping presents and caroling just don’t measure up in the sentiment category.
Part of the tradition is of course selecting some kind of evergreen tall enough to look stately, but not so tall as to punch a hole in the living room ceiling. Whether your tree comes from the forest, a commercial lot, a seasonal farm or the shelf at Longs, you can bet someone in your family is going to find something wrong with it. Especially if they don’t see the tree until it’s already in its stand, shedding needles and sucking up water like a thirsty man crawling across the Sahara.
That said, when you do find that perfect specimen, nothing beats the excitement of dragging it out to the parking lot and finding out it won’t fit in the car – but cramming it in there anyway. That’s when it hits you: the heady aroma of a freshly-cut fir or pine tree instantly notifies you that yes, indeed, it really is Christmas time.
Once you get the tree home, the first order of business should be to put it in a bucket of water, according to John Ferrando of Moon Mountain Christmas Tree Farm. If you let the tree rest in the water overnight, it will last longer. (If you have to cut off the bottom, he suggests you make the cut underwater.) Properly cared for, Noble firs can last three months.
Moon Mountain is one of the few places in this part of Sonoma County that sells freshly-chopped trees. “We have mostly Douglas fir, some Noble, some white fir and a few Scotch pine,” said Ferrando, whose family first purchased the property in the early 1900s. His father and uncles sold the farm during the war (in 1943) and bought it back in 1959. “It had been a dream of mine (to have it back), to take care of it. It’s a fun place to live,” said Ferrando, who lives on the property with his family and his sister, Barbara Hall, and her family.
The 160-acre farm has only eight acres in trees. At any given moment, there are 15,000 on site; about 800 are sold in the short season between early November and Christmas week. Each tree is individually tagged with a price, which ranges from $25 to $250 for Douglas firs and starts at $100 for white firs. Part of the expense is due to labor costs. Juan Fernandez, who has been working at Moon Mountain for 17 years, starts trimming and shaping the trees in early July and works right up to the opening day in November.
For an extra two dollars, the crew will bale up a tree; for just $1, they will shake it out.
Why shake the trees? “It gets rid of old needles and bird nests,” said Ferrando, “plus a few bats and the occasional golf ball.”
Where to purchase Christmas trees in Sonoma Valley
Moon Mountain Christmas Tree Farm
1550 Moon Mountain Dr. (off Hwy. 12 north of Mountain Ave.)
707.996.6454
Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Dec. 21
Nyberg’s Christmas Trees
20425 Eighth St. E.
(at Napa Road)
Open daily 10a.m. to 8p.m.
Off Broadway Antiques and Lonesome Cowboy Ranch
20820 Broadway
707.343.1844
Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pronzini Christmas Trees
600 W. Spain St.
707.935.7000
Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sonoma Mission Gardens
(specializes in live trees)
851 Craig Ave.
707.938.5775
Open Monday, Wednesday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Open Sunday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
