I have been living in Warren County, NJ
for more than ten years and passed the sign on Rt. 22 while traveling Westbound, more
times than I can count. I have even had a friend recommend The Perfect Christmas Tree Farm as a place that she and her family go each year to pick out
their perfect Christmas tree.
However, it wasn't until I saw their awesome photos on
Facebook, that I felt compelled to actually go there and check out the
offerings. Well.. let me tell you, it was quite the rewarding experience!
We pulled up, parked our car in their packed lot, and then
quickly surmised what all the fuss was about. Here and there and everywhere
were Christmas-tree shoppers, trudging along the snow-covered, pine-dotted
rows, armed with small saws and loading up little tree trolleys to each haul
away their one-of-a-kind fir tree for decorating this holiday season.
Since we had already purchased ours at Lowes (shame on us!),
we really had no need to do any extensive tree hunting. But I will say that the
large selection of healthy conifer trees, tall and small, fat and trim, with a
variety of needle types ranging from soft and fluffy to stout and firm, put us
in quite the merry spirit, as did the sight of all those happy shoppers, pulling
pine boughs and wreaths and of course tree and more trees, away on their little
sleds.
So we walked past those guys through the snow to the
proud-looking stone home bedecked with holly and wreaths and ribbons. Inside,
we had been told, was Mrs. Claus, ready to share a laugh and hear a message
meant for the Man in Red. So we walked up the path, and were greeted by a group
of customers, happily sipping from warm cups of spiced cider and nibbling on
home-baked cookies, which we were informed, came with the compliments of the
house. What a lovely place!
Inside we found a Christmas wonderland frozen in time...
lovely, antique toys, and a beautifully decorated gifts shop and sitting room
which was open to the public and currently inhabited by none other than Mrs. C
herself and a gaggle of happy children who swarmed about. My son, who had just
turned 3, was clearly dazzled by the whole presentation, and in complete awe of
Mrs. Claus and her friendly black lab dog, Santa Paws, who snuffed about
clearly hoping for a bite of cookie but, overall, was quite manageable and
friendly toward the children.
Mrs. Claus chatted with my starstruck little boy for I would
say more than a half hour... reading Christmas stories, asking him all the key
questions such as whether he'd been a good boy and what he wanted for
Christmas, and sharing her plate of delicious, homemade Snickerdoodle cookies
with him. She even produced a couple of old-fashioned toys for him to play with
– one was a little wooden man on a wooden board, whose legs kicked and danced
about when he was jostled. The other was a little Christmas box which, when
opened, revealed a set of finger-puppet mice who wiggled and squeaked a merry
greeting, which my son of course was quite smitten with.
Next, the owner of the farm came out to chat with us, and we
learned that she and her husband had previously owned a bed and breakfast in Cape May, which explained the warm hospitality and
beautiful antique trinkets and decor that made this place so authentic and
old-fashioned. She let us know that there were numerous events held at the
Perfect Christmas Tree Farm, such as Earth Day in April... and that in fact,
live music was scheduled for the following weekend! Finally – she let us know
about Laughter Yoga sessions which are held at the farm regularly... and which
we have yet to try but are looking forward to. As our thanks for such a
positive experience, we purchased several antique Christmas ornaments that were
on display at the shop, and donated a few dollars to a charity that they had
advertised about in the hall on our way in.
All in all, we had a fantastic experience at the Perfect Christmas Tree Farm. Our only regret is that we discovered this place just
after purchasing our tree... but I can say with 100 percent certainty that we
will be back there next December for sure, to pick out the Perfect Christmas
Tree for our home, and enjoy the company of Mrs. Claus and her sweet doggie.
Thanks so much for making this such a wonderful time for our family, and a
terrific outing to enjoy during the holiday season! See you again soon for your
other events.