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Every year for the past 17 years, my wife Mary and I would drive out to Wyckoff's Tree Farm in Belvidere, NJ, to cut our own tree down. Wyckoff's was famous for literally having mountains of trees to choose from....
After cutting the tree down, we'd head to a poinsettia farm across the street (Gro-Rite) and then down to Hot Dog Johnny's in Buttzville NJ (really -- there is a Buttzville and you can have your mail stamped from their post office). Year after year a little bit of Americana served Northwestern Jersey style.
Last year, Wyckoff's started showing its wear and tear as other people discovered it and their owner was stricken with cancer and missed a growing season a few years back. However, we remained faithful more to the entire experience, but faithful never the less. Now, our annual hot dog-Xmas tree-poinsettia tradition has run into a humbug courtesy of outsourcing.
 As always, we ran to the Poinsettia Farm's greenhouses that used to be filled with an endless sea of plants. And, not your standard red and pink boring poinsettia plants. There were mixed colors, burgundy, pink and white, and poinsettia trees.
However, it was locked, and when I went to ask the worker we've seen for years to let us in to take pictures, he said they stopped growing them because it costs too much money and it is cheaper to get them from Ohio. Ugh, back to the standard boring plants that you can get at Walmart.
Now, I'm not saying that I understand the farming business, but this was a unique opportunity. I mean look at these pictures from the last two years. Where are you going to see something like that (I know, Ohio)? This farm seemed like a well-kept secret, so perhaps a little marketing could have saved our unique plants. That's what some of the more successful farms in our town have done like Alstede's.
Outsourcing took a way one of our favorite Christmas pasttimes.  We were still able to cut down a tree at Wyckoff's but with everything they've been through the mountain of trees are long since gone and they are trucking pre-cut trees in too.
It is a shame that a unique product is being swept aside for homogenized profits. At least the hot dogs we had at Hot Dog Johnny's were still served by the same people for only $1/dog with only onions, mustard, and pickle available as condiments. Hopefully, they continue to embrace their uniqueness in a sea of sameness. Long Live Hot Dog Johnny's!
PardonMyFrench,
Eric
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Comments
Eric maybe with the aid of concerned customers such as yourself, Wyckoff's Tree Farm will get some of that needed publicity and who knows what the future may hold. I'm nowhere near the tree farm, but I'm sure our readers in that area of the country are now giving serious thought to stopping by after reading your post!
Hopefully they'll get caught up in some of the same magic your family has enjoyed.
Posted by: Mack Collier | 12.04.06
Why do you have to be such a nonconformist like everyone else...
Sorry couldn't resist. We have an amazing little farm just south of Green Valley in AZ that we go to for Halloween. They have the best pumpkins, squash, apples, beans, and even organic beef, chicken and pork. They've resorted to holding small concerts on the farm to raise money to keep things running. They're wonderful people. So I understand where you are coming from.
Posted by: Tammy Strnatka | 12.04.06
The little farmers should understand their place in a digital world - they are really on the Long Tail of gifts/food and should try and expand their reach beyond just their local community.
Eric
Posted by: Eric Frenchman | 12.04.06
You have my sympathy. It's just so sad to see these traditions fall away. I grew up in a city, but oddly enough, we had a working cider mill in our neighborhood. On Thanksgiving morning we'd walk with my father to Parson's Mill, buy our gallon (glass) jug of cider, and carry it back home in our Radio Flyer wagon. Alas, Parson's is no longer. It becomes harder and harder to provide children with an experience that doesn't seem ersatz or contrived, but for the kids themselves I'm sure that whatever tradition takes the place of the lovely pointsettia one will become the "new authentic."
Posted by: Maureen Rogers | 12.05.06
Another great example of a local tree farm that is using marketing to their advantage is a place near where I grew up: http://www.beesfleasandtrees.com/
Along with the site, they use tried-and-true customer mailings each November to let us know how their family is doing and the state of their business. I look forward to their simple letter on green paper each year because they have been able to forge a great connection.
Posted by: Jessica Boucher | 12.05.06
Maureen wrote: "It becomes harder and harder to provide children with an experience that doesn't seem ersatz or contrived...."
SIGH! So true, Maureen. I spent the weekend at Disney's Epcot and Magic Kingdom, the Bullseye of Contrived. We actually had a blast... but still, part of me always comes away from the theme park experience feeling slightly like I've fed them candy and ice cream for dinner. Something about it always feels.... icky. Hyped up. Overstimulating.
And Eric: How's this for contrived holiday experience...? On Saturday, ABC was in Disney filming its Christmas special, with Regis and Kelly, to be shown primetime Christmas morning. Imagine being in the Happiest Place on Earth and having the director's voice constantly boom at you over a megaphone..."Everyone smiles! Happy! Remember it's Christmas morning and we are all really, really happy here at DisneyWorld....!! Let's show the cameras how HAPPY we are...!!!"
Really. I could have puked.
Posted by: Ann Handley | 12.05.06
Ann,
I think I would have thrown a mickey mouse ice cream at the director, but if it meant meeting Kelly in person I would have been all smiles ;-)
Eric
Posted by: eric frenchman | 12.05.06
Kelly was definitely cute, Eric. So was Regis, for that matter. Tiny people...seriously. Both of them were positively elfin.
Posted by: Ann Handley | 12.05.06
A tradition is a custom or practice taught by one generation to another. It is very sad to see that outsourcing can ruin a family tradition. As I looked at the picture of the children among the beautiful poinsettias, I began to think - what will come of their children? Can outsourcing actually end a tradition? I do hope that their will be efforts to save Wyckoff's Tree Farm.
Posted by: Jenna | 12.06.06
Eric, first and foremost I would like to say "Thank You" to you and your wife Mary for being such faithful customers of our "Family Operated" Christmas Tree farm. Those, such as yourself, help keep the small family farmer in operation.
Regretfully, you are correct, my father was diagnosed in 1995 with Lymphoma. Yes, he is doing fine. Now, the "Big Picture"... during the treatment process for the Lymphoma, trees were not planted as the direction of the farm was in question. Annual planting once again resumed in 1999, the trees looked great, until...drought struck during the summer months. The entire planting was lost. Now, you get the picture as it takes eight to ten years to grow a harvestable Christmas Tree. I am glad to say however, we have planted every spring since and are on our way back to having, as you put it, "Mountains of Trees to Choose From". We currently have 35,000 trees in production and are planting more come spring. We have been rationing the "cut your own" trees and supplimenting with quality, fresh cut trees. We are working hard to maintain the experience for our dedicated customers such as yourself. Eric, if you or any of your readers are ever in the area, or perhaps next Christmas Tree season, please look me up. I would like to give a tour of the farm and show the "Mountains of Trees" that once again are growing in our fields.
"Thank You" to the faithful customers who have stood by us through this difficult time.
Posted by: John C. Wyckoff | 12.07.07