Find your perfect Christmas tree at Grigsby Farms in Salado
By TONYA WARREN | Photos courtesy of ASHLEY FREEMAN
Memorable scenes in Christmas movies sometimes involve the ever-popular Christmas tree. In the 1965 beloved classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie and Linus search for the perfect tree for the Christmas pageant only to disappointedly find gawdy orange and pink aluminum options available. Finally, they stumble upon the sad little specimen of a tree now, decades later, known as the Charlie Brown tree.
Or maybe you relate better to the Griswold family’s do-it-yourself tree harvesting in the 1989 highly comical movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Who can forget the iconic scene in the snowy field where, huddled together as a family in the blistering cold, daughter Audrey’s (Juliette Lewis) eyes are frozen as Clark (Chevy Chase) drones on about their forefathers chopping down their own Christmas tree for that good old-fashioned Christmas.
Grigsby Farms in Salado is ready to help make your holiday season shiny and bright with its assortment of fresh Christmas trees. No more dealing with taking a tree down after Christmas and attempting to shove it back in the box to only then shove it in the garage closet, or worse, haul that heavy, often disheveled box up the attic stairs.
Nathan and Megan Grigsby own 60 acres of his grandfather’s land, which has been in the family since the 1940s, where they enjoy raising registered Beefmaster cattle and tending to their flock of 40 chickens. Grab some fresh eggs for baking all those tempting Christmas goodies while you’re there. The couple began preparing for an agricultural way of life years ago. Both graduated from Tarleton State University where Nathan received a degree in Wildlife Management and Megan received a degree in Animal Science. Nathan had toyed with the idea of opening a Christmas tree farm in the past, and in 2023, the idea began to take root.
As humid summer days gave way to crisp autumn mornings that fall, a member of the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association contacted area members about his excess number of precut trees that fellow members were welcome to sell at their own farms.
“We took this opportunity to get our feet wet,” Nathan said. “We started gauging interest in our area, which was positive, so we opened our lot.”
While these precut trees were popular, the Grigsby’s were fielding calls from folks wanting to cut their own tree, which planted the seed to develop their own conifer venture.
Wild weather patterns and pesky insects are just a few challenges in growing any crop, and Christmas trees are no exception. The couple planted their first crop of Virginia pines last February.
“The seedlings have been genetically selected for the best Christmas tree growing characteristics and adaptability in our Texas climate,” Nathan said.
Providing Mother Nature cooperates, the Grigsbys will harvest their planting of around 6-foot-trees in about five years or so. Until then, the Grigsbys take pride in offering the freshest trees possible to last throughout the season.
“Our trees, North Carolina Fraser firs, are delivered to our farm in refrigerated trucks to maintain freshness and receive great care once they arrive,” Nathan said.
Upon arrival, each tree receives a fresh cut and is immediately placed in water and under a shade cloth to help keep the trees fresh. Big box stores often rest fresh trees on concrete and in direct sunlight, which can accelerate the drying out process.
Being the parents of two sons, ages 6 and 9, the Grigsbys understand the importance of making the season fun and memorable.
“We know selecting your tree is a very special occasion, and we do our best to honor that tradition,” Nathan said.
Guests enjoy free popcorn and candy canes as they stroll the lot selecting the perfect tree for their Christmas celebration. New for this year will be hot chocolate Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with proceeds benefiting Baylor Scott and White McLane Children’s Hospital.
“Our 6-year-old son has benefited from a lot of their services over the years,” Nathan said. “The doctors and nurses there have been great in helping him, so this is a small way we can help pay that forward.”
Although it’s not required to preorder a tree, preordering allows the customer the chance to secure a taller tree such as those 9 feet and above, as those are a bit more difficult to secure. It also allows the customer to take advantage of the early season discount. Preorder customers also get the first pick of trees before the lot opens to the public.
Once open to the public on Black Friday, customers can browse and pick trees from 3 feet to 14 feet tall. Nathan said they have more than 100 trees on display at one time, so the customer has plenty to choose from when picking a favorite. Various sizes of lovingly handmade wreaths, while not available during presale, can be outfitted with a custom bow of the customer’s choosing. For a delivery fee, the tree can be delivered to the customer’s home, and there’s no charge for wreath delivery when delivered with a purchased tree.
This year, the farm will also offer free local tree removal for trees purchased from their lot. Being good land stewards, the Grigsbys are happy to keep trees out of the landfill. Another bonus? The trees are mulched and that mulch is placed around Christmas tree seedlings next February.
This holiday season is the perfect time to awaken our senses to the aromatic joy of a lovingly and carefully grown Christmas tree while sipping hot chocolate for a worthy cause. Creating special memories together is what helps make this season unique and fun. Just ask Clark Griswold.
GRIGSBY FARMS
Address: 917 Hackberry Rd, Salado
Phone: 254-493-7250
Website: grigsbyfarmstx.com
