By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Old Time Christmas Tree Farm, a u-cut tree farm in Harris County, has been offering good old-fashioned family fun for almost 25 years.
The tree farm is a unique way to carry on the agricultural heritage of land that’s been in owner Damian Prause’s family since 1907.
“My wife’s and my family came here in the 1840s and the 1850s from Germany and have pretty much been involved in agriculture since then,” Prause said. “And this land we’re on today was bought in 1907, so it’s pretty special to us.”
In rapidly urbanizing northeast Harris County, land sells fast and for high prices. Finding a way to stay profitable in an agricultural operation was foremost on Prause’s mind when he started farming.
“I started right out of high school in the mid-80s baling hay. Harris County was growing like crazy even back then,” he said. “I did some row crop farming for about 10 years, but the subdivisions kept buying land and taking over, so I kept losing my leases. There’s really not much agricultural land left around here.”
So, Prause settled on the idea of running a u-cut Christmas tree farm in 1992. By 1996, the first set of trees were ready to be sold.
“I think I planted about 8,000 trees on 40 acres the first time, not really knowing the market and not knowing much about how to go about it. But 24 years later, we’ve pretty well got it established, and we have things running pretty smoothly,” Prause, a Harris County Farm Bureau member, said.
Running a Christmas tree farm is similar to row crop farming but on an extended timetable.
“With soybeans or corn, you’d rotate your fields around, but we’re on more of a four- or five-year rotation,” Prause said. “We sell about 20-25 percent of our crop every year, and everywhere that’s cut, we replant a seedling. Then, those trees are ready in about five years to be harvested, and the cycle continues.”
Prause sells anywhere from 3,500-5,500 trees every year. Families come from miles around to take miniature train rides around the property, see Santa Claus, and participate in other family-friendly activities.
The main event, of course, is choosing and cutting their own Christmas tree.
“It’s a really fun experience for the families who don’t have any experience going to the country at all. Even though we’re in an urban area, we have about 75 acres of trees and woods, and it looks like we’re in the country,” he said. “It’s pretty busy. We have a vendor that provides cold drinks and ice cream on hot days, and on cold days, they have hot cocoa and cider. There are activities the kids can do, and Santa Claus is always here. My father and I built a train we pull with a small tractor that has a sheet metal frame over it to look like a steam engine, and that’s very popular. There’s a barbecue vendor, so there’s other things for families to do beside just get their tree.”
Many local families have made a tradition out of the experience and come visit each year. And it’s a family experience for the Prauses, as well.
“My daughter, my son and my wife all help out. My wife and I used to do it all, but she had some health issues, so my kids pretty much took over recently,” Prause said. “They’re in their late 20s and at the age where they could take on some of that. They’re very involved—so much so that I don’t have to be too involved these days. I still do a lot of the day-to-day stuff and help out with tree care or wherever I’m needed, but they’re both very hands-on, and they pretty much take care of all the retail side these days.”
There are also pre-cut trees available for those who don’t want or are unable to cut down their own tree, or are looking for a different variety than those that grow in Texas, such as Spruce or Frasier firs.
Prause orders these each year from Christmas tree growers in Northern states.
Every year except the past two years, the tree farm has officially opened for business the Friday after Thanksgiving. But after noticing people were busier than ever, Prause opened the farm the weekend leading up to Thanksgiving to give families more flexibility to select that perfect tree for their holiday celebrations.
During the fall, the Prause family runs a pumpkin patch, too.
“The pumpkin patch starts the first part of October. This year, we had five weekends. It’s pretty much the same kind of activities that go on at Christmas. You have your hayrides, your food and drink vendors, photo opportunities and that sort of thing,” Prause said. “One of the reasons we started the pumpkin patch was to promote the Christmas trees. You could give hayrides through the Christmas trees in October, and hopefully, a few weeks later, those same families would come back and cut trees. Early on, we needed that because advertising is expensive, and it’s just grown every year.”
If there’s a downside to the operation, Prause said, it’s that his operation is at maximum capacity. And many other Texas tree farms are in the same boat.
“The Christmas tree operation has been a big blessing, because it’s something I can retail whereas most agriculture is wholesale,” he said. “But we can’t handle any more business. We’re maxed out. There used to be another farm about three to four miles from us, but it’s gone now. And there aren’t a lot of tree farmers in Texas these days. Many of us are getting older, and they’re starting to have physical limitations and things that are causing them to close down.”
As with any other farming operation, the work is hard, and the hours are long.
“It’s like any other type of farming. You’re a chemist, a welder, an accountant. You have to be everything to make this work,” Prause said. “And it’s year-round care. You can’t just walk away. January to January, the farm needs you. We irrigate, spray for insects and disease, control grass and weeds under trees. It’s always something. But it’s enjoyable. And at this point, both of my kids want to keep going, so I’m going to keep going for a while, too.”
For directions, hours of operation and more information on the Prause family’s farm, visit Old Time Christmas Tree Farm online.