On a barren snow-covered field in the remote woods of southwest Wisconsin stands a tiny fir tree, only about four feet tall, bedazzled with shimmering Christmas lights that cast a multi-colored, halo-like glow through winter’s darkest nights. For Bill O’Donnell, it’s a beacon and something he ponders through his bedroom window when a cold wind wakes him.
This isn’t some random tree Bill decided to adorn with lights. An electrical source doesn’t just “pop up” in the middle of the Wisconsin woods. Everything about it was intentional, as most things are with O’Donnell. He wanted to create memories with his family and to do so would require Christmas trees. Lots of them. And a willingness to trench electricity to that lonely little tree in the distance.
Most folks, when they buy property on which to build, consider things like square footage and kitchen layouts. Not Bill. He envisioned cutting a Christmas tree with his wife, Amy, and their four kids every holiday season, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. For 16 years, the O’Donnells have cut their own Christmas trees, and Bill wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You gotta have foresight,” says Bill. Even before the foundation was dug, Christmas trees went in and he’s planted more every year since. “If I waited five years to plant, that’s five years of growth. I didn’t want to miss out on that.”
Pencil-size Frasier fir saplings, no taller than a foot, have been planted throughout his property since 2001. According to Bill, planting everything at once would have yielded a crop of firs at approximately the same height in eight years. The staggered planting schedule allows for a tree ripe for cutting every year. Now that he’s successfully established plenty of conifers, Bill’s been able to slow the planting. He admits he fudged a little that first year, planting four-foot-tall trees so the family would have some ripe for cutting in the near future.
“It’s such a fun day,” says Bill. “We load up the tractor and the hay wagon and begin our search.”
Prior to the outing on Thanksgiving weekend, Bill scouts the field to find the perfect specimen. Although the kids wander about searching, Bill manages to steer them all to the tree he’s deemed ready for cutting and all take a few pulls on the saw. It’s all done by hand — no power tools. And before long, the family yells in unison, “Timber!”
Fastened to the top of their car, the tree is brought to their home in Illinois. They waste little time putting it on display. For Bill, putting it up only to take it down two weeks later defeats the purpose of having a real tree. Fire hazards, while always a concern, are less an issue with a fresh cut tree as they take longer to dry out then a commercial tree that was cut and kept in cold storage months before the holidays.
“Keep it in water if you’re not going to bring it inside right away,” advises Bill. “Then give it a fresh cut if it dries out and keep watering it. It’ll really suck up the water.”
Even on a residential lot, Bill says growing a Christmas tree or two is entirely possible. Many of the O’Donnell’s friends, after having accompanied the family on one of their tree-cutting expeditions, are fresh-cut Christmas tree converts.
“What’s so fun about going to a big-box store to pick up a pre-wrapped tree?” asks Bill. “Treat your kids to the experience of hunting for a tree. It’s a completely different experience they will always remember.”
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