Families flock to Christmas Tree Farms on opening weekend
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — Families wasted no time getting their Christmas trees as many farms opened for the season ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Last year we came it was dumping snow on us, which was pretty fun, so yeah, this is a little strange," St. Louis Park resident Cory Babcock said.
A lack of chilly weather hasn't stopped the holiday spirit from heating up at Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm in Lake Elmo. With people wanting to buy trees earlier in the season, they opted to open a few days earlier this year too.
"We wanted to get in and get here before everyone else got the good trees," Stillwater resident Dusty Dennis said.
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Owner John Krueger said the demand for real trees has grown over the past decade or more, but really took off during the pandemic when families were looking for more outdoor activities.
"The tree market in Minnesota is great, it's never been better," Krueger said.
He said there is no shortage of trees this year in Minnesota, though the drought impacted the height of some trees.
"Trees are still alive, they're healthy, they just haven't grown as much, mainly because June is our key growing season and that's when it's been the most dry the last couple of years," he said.
The family farm is in it's 69th year. To better handle the visitors, they now ask for people to make reservations ahead of time. They still have slots available and will be open through Christmas Eve.