For New Jersey’s many tree farms, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas bring the crowds they work toward all year — people who come not just to buy a tree, but to take part in something that feels like the official start of the season.
What many don’t know is that Mercer County has bragging rights when it comes to this tradition.
The first commercial Christmas tree farm in the United States took root in Hamilton Township, where William V. McGalliard began planting Norway spruces in 1901. Hoping to turn rocky farmland into profit, he instead helped spark a holiday custom that swept the nation.
He planted 25,000 spruce seedlings and 5,000 saplings from Charles Black of Hightstown. When the first trees matured around 1907, McGalliard sold them for $1 each, long before choosing a tree became the family-centered excursion we know today.
Born in 1857, McGalliard spent his life in White Horse, where he farmed, served on local boards, and built the town’s water works. His blend of entrepreneurship and public service helped transform his community, and his unlikely gamble on Christmas trees grew into a nationwide industry.
Though his farm is now the site of Kingston & Kemp Funeral Home, his legacy lives on in the thousands of tree farms across America.
That same spirit of tradition thrives today at Jack’s Nursery & Landscaping in Hopewell Township, where Edward “Jack” Jackowski and his wife, Anita, have spent nearly three decades tending evergreens and greeting generations of returning families.
Jackowski grows Black Hills spruce, Canaan fir, and Norway spruce — species that do well in the clay-rich soil on his Hopewell Township property.
“The Black Hills spruce look like they’d hurt, but they don’t,” he said while feeling the needles on one of the trees. “Regular spruce trees bite. They hurt you. But the Black Hills don’t.”
Jakowski said that while many families choose from Jack’s pre-cut selection, for parents with young children, he often recommends exploring the fields.
“Kids remember running around out here,” he said. “Anybody can go to Home Depot and get a tree. But when kids come out here, they have a ball picking one. They’ll remember that.”
He stresses the importance of a fresh cut before the tree goes into its stand. “We trim a quarter inch off the bottom,” he said. “If the sap hardens, the water can’t go up.”
Once home, he said customers should get the tree into water immediately. “Warm water and sugar is the old trick, but we sell a product called ProLong. It keeps the sap from sealing over.”
Jack’s also sells a limited number of ball-and-burlap trees for replanting. Four- to five-foot sizes are the most manageable.
“I tell people to dig the hole before Christmas,” he said. “New Jersey weather is crazy. If the ground freezes, that thing’s not going in.”
Weather has shaped many memorable seasons on the farm. “I’ve sold trees in a T-shirt, and I’ve sold them in 35 degrees and raining,” he said. “We’re out there freezing and people still come.”
One year a sudden freeze encased every tree in ice. “We couldn’t even run ’em through the netting,” he said. “I finally told people, ‘There’s the trees — 20 bucks.’ It was that bad.”
But what keeps him going is the people. “I’ve watched kids grow up out here,” he said. “Some were babies the first time they came. Now they’re bringing their kids. It’s tradition.”
After decades working the fields, Jackowski has come to understand trees from the grower’s point of view — how they behave, how they surprise people, and how families connect with them.
But across New Jersey, other growers see the holiday tree tradition from a broader vantage point, and few know that landscape better than Allison Cole.
Cole, who serves as the executive secretary of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association, has seen just about every kind of tree — and every kind of customer — there is.
She said she could usually tell within a few minutes which families wanted a neat, symmetrical fir and which ones would proudly take home something a little wild-looking.
“You’ve got spruces and firs and pines, and they differ in their needles,” said Cole in a past interview with CommunityNews.org. “There are some exotic, off-the-wall varieties, too.”
Her years in the business have taught her that every tree has its own personality. A white pine, with its soft, graceful needles, has a certain elegance — like a dancer twirling in slow motion. The sturdy Colorado blue spruce, meanwhile, has an icy beauty, its steel-blue hue glowing under white lights. But it’s not one to handle carelessly.
“You have to trim that one wearing gloves,” Cole said. “The needles are so sharp even the deer won’t nibble on it.”
Then there are the firs — Douglas, Concolor, and Fraser. Their full branches can hold heavy ornaments, their scent fills a room instantly, and, as Cole said, “they have good needle retention.”
Cole said she sometimes chose her own tree not for perfection but for personality.
“I’ve brought home the tree that was maybe bit by a tractor,” she said with a grin. “I can always make it beautiful.”
Still, practicality matters. “You’d be surprised how many people forget to measure their ceiling,” she said. “They find the perfect tree, bring it home, and then realize they don’t have room for the star or angel on top.”
Like any fashion, tree trends come and go. “Twenty-five years ago everyone wanted Scotch pine,” she said. “Now it’s all about the firs.”
Freshness remains central to her advice.
“It’s much better to go to a local tree farm and either cut it yourself or have it cut for you there,” she said. “That way you know it’s fresh.”
Once home, timing and care are crucial. “Get it into water as soon as possible,” she said. If it needs to sit outside before decorating, she said to keep it in a bucket of water in the garage or on the shaded side of the house.
“I usually give mine a gallon of clean water every day or every other day,” she said. “You just have to see what it needs.”
For some families, the love of Christmas trees goes beyond one holiday season. Many farms sell ball-and-burlap trees with roots still attached, ready to be replanted.
“People like to use them in their landscaping and say, ‘Oh, that was our Christmas tree from a few years ago,’” Cole said.
She said real trees remain the environmentally friendly choice. “You may have an artificial tree for 20 years, but when you throw it out, it sits in a landfill forever because you can’t recycle it,” she said.
In New Jersey, the business of Christmas trees is less about competition and more about community. “We’re all friends,” Cole said. “We help each other out.”
She said the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association meets throughout the year to share advice, compare species performance, and trade stories from the field.
“It’s a group of people who love what they do,” she said. “We’re all in it for the same reason — because we love trees and we love the holidays.”
That sentiment extends to the public. Buying a tree locally supports small, family-owned farms and turns what could be a chore into a memorable outing.
“You’re not just buying a tree,” Cole said. “You’re making a tradition.”
The Association says it is committed to keeping that tradition alive for generations. Its members grow, prune, shape, and care for thousands of trees so that each December, families can walk through the fields in search of “the one.”
“People come back year after year,” Cole said. “We see their kids grow up. It’s like being part of their Christmas story.”
And that, in the end, is what keeps Cole and her fellow growers smiling even after long, cold December days in the fields.
“It’s worth it,” she said. “You’re part of something that brings people joy.”
For more information about Jack’s Nursery, go to jacksnurseryandlandscaping.com or call 609-737-0224. For more information, tips, and a list of farms near you, visit njchristmastrees.org.
Area tree farms
A & M Farm and Garden Center, 1203 US Highway 130, Robbinsville. Features fresh-cut Christmas trees, custom wreaths, holiday décor, grave blankets, and seasonal gifts for the home and garden. (609) 448-0663. aandmgardencenter.com/winter.
Barclay’s Tree Farm: 35 Orchardside Dr., Cranbury, offers choose-and-cut and a limited selection of pre-cut trees, plus fresh wreaths, stands and local honey. (609) 799-1855. barclaystreefarm.com.
Carroll’s Christmas Tree Farm, 3980 Princeton Pike, Lawrence Twp., offers Douglas, Fraser and Concolor firs (and more), handmade wreaths, swags and garlands, plus seasonal family activities. Carroll’s Christmas Tree Farm on Facebook. (609) 647-2623.
Colavita Christmas Tree Farm, 1761 Dolington Rd., Yardley, PA, offers choose-and-cut, pre-cut and balled trees plus a Wreath Barn making fresh wreaths daily with custom décor, along with roping and bows for doorways and mantels. (215) 493-3563. colavitachristmastreefarm.com.
Countryview Farm Nursery, 601 Buckelew Ave., Monroe Twp., offers fresh-cut and balled firs & spruces, decorated wreaths, grave blankets and seasonal shrubs; they often feature hot cocoa and Santa visits on select days. (732) 446-5141. countryviewfarmnursery.com.
Jack’s Nursery & Landscaping, 10/100 Woosamonsa Rd., Hopewell Township, offers fresh-cut trees (plus a limited selection of uncut nursery trees), poinsettias and greens. (609) 737-0224. jacksnurseryandlandscaping.com.
Keris Tree Farm & Christmas Shop, 848 Route 524, AllentownChoose-and-cut firs/spruces and pre-cut Fraser & Balsam; Christmas shop with handmade ornaments, wreaths and gifts. (609) 259-0720. kerischristmastreefarm.com.
Lazy Susan Tree Farm, 184 Sharon Rd., Robbinsville. Family-run with cut-your-own and pre-cut trees, fresh handmade wreaths, and complimentary hot chocolate and candy canes by the firepit. (609) 208-0784. lazysusantreefarm.com.
Longford Gardens/Makrancy’s, 947 Kuser Rd., Hamilton, has historically sold pre-cut trees and holiday greens at the garden center; current online info is inconsistent. Call ahead to confirm hours and availability. (609) 981-7667.
McLaughlin Tree Farm, 1312 Old York Rd., Robbinsville, offers a selection of choose-and-cut trees with free baling and loading, saws and wagons, hot chocolate & popcorn, handmade wreaths, garland and baked goods. (609) 259-8122. intrees.net
Stone Manor Farm (formerly Pleasant Valley), 47 Pleasant Valley Rd., Titusville, offers a classic choose-and-cut experience, specializing in large trees as well. (609) 818-1241. stonemanorfarmnj.com
Simonson Farms (Cranbury/East Windsor) operates several fields, with main locations at 120 Cranbury Neck Rd. and 118/260 Dey Rd. Big species selection, pre-cut at Cranbury Neck Rd., and wagon rides on weekends. (609) 799-0140. simonsonfarms.com
Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm, 194 Bordentown-Georgetown Rd., Chesterfield. Family-run for 30+ years with choose-and-cut firs & spruces, fresh wreaths and on-farm tools/services. (609) 298-2498. sprucegoosefarm.wordpress.com.