Originally reported for NCC News on 05 Dec 2010
The Christmas tree has been a holiday tradition for more than 500 years and for the past 26 years, Drexler’s Trees has taken pride in adding a little holiday spirit to each of its customers who wanted just the right tree.
The Drexler family’s tree lot, which opened after Thanksgiving, is located less than 20 miles south of Syracuse in Manlius behind Snowtop Ice Cream and is open every day until Christmas.
Although the Drexler family’s Springside Farm has been making a living from agriculture for more than 200 years, one of its members has been creating memories for children of all ages for quite a while. According to one family member, how long is that?
“My whole life,” says Travis Drexler. “I’ve been doing this before I was a thought. This has been my December for as long as I’ve ever known.”
Travis says he gets a kick out of seeing children’s faces light up when they pick their tree. The tree farm contains several varieties of trees including Fraser, Canaan, Balsam, and Douglas fir and every customer searches for just the right tree.
“I don’t even know how to put in words,” says Travis. “You gotta think back to when you were a kid at Christmas time and what it meant and you just try to be a part of the experience.”
Once a family chooses their tree, Travis or one of the other Drexlers, ensure it is the right height. If not, they trim it to as needed before putting it through the baler so it is easier to take home. However, the Drexlers also offer a delivery service for a small fee.
Despite freezing temperatures and snow falling on hundreds of handpicked trees, families and their pets endured the weather to get into the holiday spirit by choosing this year’s Christmas tree from Drexler’s and keeping the centuries old tradition intact.
Christmas like any other festival is all about celebration.
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