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 You don’t have to travel to cold climates up north in order to obtain a real Christmas tree. Central Florida residents can visit Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest located a few miles from downtown Eustis, where Jack & Judy Ewing own and maintain 33 acres of land. Fourteen acres produce Christmas trees, and the total trees on the property are: 13,000 Sand Pines, 1,000 Red Cedars, as well as a small nursery of 100 potted Christmas trees.
The Ewings are in the middle of their busy season, which runs from Thanksgiving weekend until December 23rd. Hundreds of visitors arrive to choose and cut the tree of their choice; Sand Pine, Red Cedar or Arizona Cypress. Other types of trees, such as Fraser Fir, Scotch Pine, and Douglas Fir are shipped in from other areas. In January 3,000 seedlings are planted to replace the cut trees.
The Trees for Troops program at the farm allows consumers the opportunity to purchase a tree that will be delivered to a military family throughout the country. In addition, the price of each Christmas tree purchased for the troops is being reduced by $5, and that amount is donated to the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation (a branch of the National Christmas Tree Association) which implements the program. In 2006, FedEx and the Foundation delivered nearly 12,000 trees to military families at 25 bases in 17 countries, and this year, they plan on delivering as many as 17,000 trees.
The farm has other activities that attract the children, such as horse, pony or horse cart rides, farm animal zoo, play haystack, hay rides, gift shop, Santa visits, and fresh wreaths that are made every day. The large acreage provides the opportunity for families to enjoy the farm’s facilities and to bring home a freshly cut Christmas tree for the holidays.
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