For the past few years, my husband and I have made a tradition of selecting and cutting our own Christmas tree. Dan grew up in Michigan, so the pungent evergreen scent carries him back to the days of his youth. After all, a big part of Christmas is recalling the wonderful Christmases of long ago.
Two years ago we made the trek to Scott County to cut a tree; last year it was Ripley County. All the way there and back we bemoaned the fact that there was no place in Jefferson County to cut our own tree.
But wait! A few weeks ago we noticed some small signs on Madison’s hilltop. “Blue Spruce Christmas Trees, Jim Rogers, 146 Hendricks Circle.” Dan remembered buying a tree from this gentlemen in the 1990s, but his tree farm had been closed for a few years. It turns out he was just waiting for his newest crop to gain the right size.
Mr. Rogers has a couple of acres planted in blue spruce right in the middle of a residential area off Michigan Road. His trees are healthy and well formed. If you’re looking for a really tall tree you may be disappointed, but we found several in the 6-foot range that suited us. Of course we took the very best one, a silvery beauty with perfectly spaced branches. The lot has an abundance of smaller trees that give promise of Christmas trees for future years.
Mr. Rogers, who is past middle age, says this is his last planting, “unless my grandson wants to sell them.” Since it’s important for Madison folks to have a place to cut their own trees, we hope his grandson is ready to carry on the family tradition.
According to his signs, you can contact Jim Rogers at (812) 273-3236 or (812) 701-1440. Trees are priced at a very reasonable $6 per foot, and the owner will cut one for you with a power saw if you don’t care to do it the old-fashioned way.
I remember doing this as a child when we lived in Chicago. We used to go to a place on Western Avenue near 103rd and there was a lot next to McDonalds. The trees were already cut, but hey, this was Chicago!
We didn’t actually cut our own trees until we moved out of the city to New Lenox, IL. My uncle had bought property for a house which used to be a Christmas Tree farm, so for years we would go over there and cut down a tree. We used to get some really pretty ones from there.
Thanks for the memories, Laura (and Dan)!