Nothing says Christmas like the aroma of a real evergreen tree or wreath, and for the past 28 years, the Luer family has been helping create those Christmas memories for the Calumet Region.
The 600-acre working farm grows corn and soybeans, but it's the 50 acres of evergreen trees that put the Luer's Christmas Tree Farm on the holiday map. In fact, generations of area families have made a tradition of selecting and cutting down their own Christmas trees here.
"We encourage parents to come out with their kids, bring hot chocolate and sandwiches and make it a family experience," said Doug Luer, who runs the farm with his brother John.
"Our dad ("Bud") started the farm and put the trees on it," Luer said. "We have 50,000 trees growing here."
Varieties of pine, fir and spruce grow on this land, with 1,000 trees available for cutting this holiday season. Sizes range from three to 13 feet.
Although the farm work continues all year, Luer's Christmas Tree Farm is only open from the Monday before Thanksgiving to Dec. 23. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Each customer who wishes to cut down a Christmas tree is loaned a bow saw at the entrance and allowed to drive along the fields. After cutting the tree, the customer brings it to one of two processing areas. Here employees place the tree in a machine to shake out dead needles, then wrap the tree so it can be transported.
Long needle pines cost $4.50 per foot while short-needle trees are $6 a foot, Luer said. The most popular are the Douglas fir trees, he said.
The business also sells pre-cut Christmas trees and evergreens that are dug up by the roots. These "balled and burlapped" trees are planted outdoors by customers.
"We make wreaths from the big, burly trees that people don't usually want. These are sold as fund-raisers by local softball teams, church groups, etc.," Luer said. "We're always looking for groups to sell the wreaths."
The trees also provide firewood, which the Luer farm sells by the face cord of 70 logs each.
About one-third of the tree farm's customers drive in from Illinois. The rest are primarily Lake and Porter county residents.
Evergreens are a renewable resource and require re-planting so trees are available for future Christmases. After the stumps of this year's cut trees are removed in the spring, one-foot tall saplings are planted. The growing trees must be sprayed twice a year and be sheared at the upper branches to create a top.
"It takes eight years to get a six-foot tree," Luer said. "It's a lot of hard work, but it's a lot of fun for us."
