December 19, 2001
Pining for Christmas tree tradition
Cutting own tree special event for many families
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Tom and Deby Sinner were creating memories Saturday afternoon - family memories that will last a lifetime.
The Traverse City couple brought their son, Jake, 4, to the Schmuckal Christmas Tree Farm in Blair Township to experience cutting down a tree themselves. For both of the Michigan natives, it was an integral memory from their younger days that they wanted their son to share.
"We both grew up downstate and cut them down with our families for many years," said Deby Sinner, as they walked among the acres of Douglas, Balsam, Canaan, Noble, Fraser and Corkbark firs.
A Coast Guard family, the Sinners spent the past three Christmases stationed in Puerto Rico. While residents there celebrate the holidays for an extended time - from Thanksgiving until Three Kings Day in January - the imported Christmas trees available did not make the cut for this family.
So Saturday afternoon, surrounded by living, breathing trees, the memories came flooding back.
"This smells so good, it smells like home," said Deby Sinner, as the family settled on a shapely Corkbark.
This is the first year that the Schmuckal Tree Farm has been open to the public for cutting. Still mainly a wholesale operation, the 80-acre farm has been in business for 18 years and sports 1,300 trees per acre.
Owner Richard Schmuckal decided to venture into the U-cut market after industry statistics showed these sales represented 30 percent of the market. He put in a few bow saws, posted a list of prices and warnings (it is a working farm after all) and ran some newspaper ads. From the heavy traffic the past few weekends, he believes it is a winning idea and has some ambitious plans for the future.
"Next year I want to give out hot chocolate and sell hot dogs," Schmuckal said. "I also want to take digital photos of people with their trees that they can take home with them."
Even without those bells and whistles, the family of Jack and Joanie Boynton of Traverse City wouldn't miss an opportunity to cut down a tree themselves. It is a strong family tradition dating back many years, with lots of memories of friendly debating over which tree. Not to mention the requisite snowball fights among the three children and their parents.
"Really, in the past it has been less about the tree and more about playing in the snow," said Joanie Boynton, looking sadly at the snowless green ground.
Now, with grown children, two still in college, the family was back at the Schmuckal farm Saturday afternoon to pick out a second tree, this one for their basement. As they waited for their Balsam fir to be baled, they reflected on what it meant to share this project year after year.
"We think doing this is nice because the tree is fresher and it just creates more memories," said Wendy Boynton, recalling that while she was in college the family briefly abandoned their tradition. "It wasn't as much fun to just buy one, it was faster but not as much fun."
Carry and Mark Howie are sharing their first Christmas together as a blended family. Newly married, they came with daughters Roxanne and Sydney Johnson to harvest a tree together.
As they wound their way among the rows, searching for the perfect size, shape and color, a better one constantly just over there, they were forging a feeling of togetherness.
"This is our first Christmas as a family together and we wanted this to be one of our new traditions," said Carry Howie, as the family finally settled on a Balsam fir.