Our Story

In the summer of 2015, Brandi, who is also a real estate agent, ran across the farm while showing the property to a friend. Having grown up on a dairy farm in Hardy County, Brandi decided to pitch the idea of buying the land to her husband, Steve and getting back to farm life—His immediate response was,

“How would you make money, it's just raw ground and I'm not interested in milking cows?”

With that, the idea of a Christmas Tree farm was born.

How hard could growing trees really be?

The Shultz family settled on the property in February 2016 and planted their first 2,400 Christmas trees in March with the help of friends and family. Steve and Brandi sold their home that October and moved into a camper with their 2 children; Will who was a freshman in college and Riley a middle school student, 3 dogs, and a cat. They backed the camper inside the barn they had constructed that summer and shared the barn space with their horses and goats until their home was finished in February the following year.

It didn’t take long for the family to realize how much work growing Christmas trees actually was. Each year, usually around the end of March or beginning of April, the family, along with friends, spends 2 weekends planting small 2-4-year-old bare root tree transplants. Each of the 2,000-3,000 trees are planted individually by hand. These trees will grow to become Christmas trees in 7-10 years. During those 7-10 years the trees are mown about 2 times a month during the spring and summer. The Shultzes mow more often than most so they do not have to use chemicals to kill the weeds and grass that compete for nutrients with the trees. It's a lot of extra time spent on a mower but they feel it's better for the trees, the people here, and the environment. Trees are inspected regularly to check for disease and bugs and treated if needed. Trimming and managing the height of the “leader,” or top of the tree, starts soon after planting. Shaping of the trees starts after about 4-5 years. Most varieties grow about a foot a year. There is a lot of time and effort put into each and every tree on the farm.

Steve will tell you that the farm is Brandi’s. She handles most of the day-to-day work like mowing and trimming, but it's truly a family affair. Both children help with planting in the spring and harvesting in the winter. They also do a great job of recruiting friends to help. Will is now an attorney in Charles Town while Riley attends college in Texas where she rodeos for Sam Houston State University. Steve, even though not a farmer from the start, has embraced farm life. He is in charge of the big stuff and keeps the equipment working and running. He is also the voice of reason. And speaking of family, Santa’s Woods wouldn’t be successful if it weren’t for the help of friends who have become family. The friends that always make time to help regardless of the project.

This farm was built on a dream of creating a Christmas experience that stays with you long after the tree is gone. We hope you come and create a memory year after year with us!