Tree-dition
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on December 12, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Tony Martin grasps one of his favorite trees on the Beautancus Christmas Tree Farm, a Leyland cypress. The farm has been owned by his wife Lori's family for generations.
Full Size
News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Lori Martin smells her hand after grasping one of her favorite trees on the farm -- a tree she has become attached to and has not been able to sell.
Full SizeMOUNT OLIVE -- To passers-by, Lori Martin's tree is far from perfect.
There are noticeable bare spots -- a few holes where the needles did not grow in quite as full as others on her family farm.
But Lori sees the beauty in what, before the holiday, will be standing inside her home on Christmas morning.
"It's almost foolish," she said. "When I pick out a kitten from a litter or a puppy from a litter, I always pick the runt. My tree has a lot of big holes in it and all that, but that's all right. It's beautiful."
Lori has been falling in love with Christmas trees every year for the more than three decades her family has been selling them.
But in her husband Tony's mind, a good Christmas tree is no Christmas trees at all.
The couple has been running the Beautancus Christmas Tree Farm for five years now.
"I know it's crazy, but I do get attached to them," Lori said. "I can see the beauty in all of them when a lot of people can't."
Tony hopes he sees an empty lot by Christmas Eve -- the farm will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day until she does.
Tony married into the business.
Before working on the farm, he was a cosmetologist.
"I can give you a really good haircut, or I can trim a tree," he quipped.
Lori, on the other hand, grew up on the farm.
"It was fun, as you can imagine," she said. "We had pigs, cows and ponies. We got to play in the corn crib, feed the animals and run through the trees."
Her father, Leslie Southerland, known by those who have made picking out their family tree at Beautancus a tradition as "Mr. Brownie," started selling Christmas trees on the Mount Olive farm in 1984.
"He was always taking care of trees, even as a little boy himself," Lori said. "It was almost like he was meant to do this."
At one point, there were almost 12,000 trees on the farm.
"That was a long time ago," Lori said.
And when he could no longer run the farm, his daughter and her husband took over.
"It was hard," she said. "I was scared I would mess something up or do something different. It's very important that we do it his way."
Southerland taught Tony how to trim a tree -- following behind him in a truck and shouting bits of wisdom.
"After 30 years of being inside, I don't mind being outside some," Tony said.
Tony shapes each tree differently.
"Some tall, skinny ones, some fat Hershey-kiss ones," he said, adding that he tries to ensure the farm is stocked with something for everyone.
Beautancus Christmas Tree Farm has become a tradition for many families. Starting on Thanksgiving, people come in droves to pick out a fir -- or to cut down one of the farm's pines.
Lori's favorite part is watching the children.
"It's almost like when they get here they're free," she said. "They run and run and run. It's really cute to watch them with Santa."
A truck from Sparta delivered 260 Fraser fir trees to the farm the day before Thanksgiving this year.
Only 13 of them are left.
Tony's favorite, though, are the Blue Sapphires.
"They're just different," he said.
Most families came the week of Thanksgiving to pick out their tree.
And soon, Christmas will come and business will slow.
But the couple is looking ahead.
Eventually, they want to host Easter egg hunts, a pumpkin patch and a hay maze on the expansive farm. Tony's dream is to partner with a volunteer fire department for a spook trail.
But for right now, Tony says he is still working on trees.
Tony plants the trees a few months apart to keep refreshing the supply.
But he cannot make them grow fast enough -- a fir takes almost 10 years to fully mature, while the pines take a little more than five years.
Those who already have their tree still have something to shop for at Beautancus.
Wreaths, ranging from 8 to 24 inches, are also available on the farm.
The fragrant items are decorated with bows, holly or left plain in a shed where wreath-making tables have been constructed, with foot pedal operated clamps.
And Tony also makes "Charlie Brown trees" out of the tops of the trees that were sheered for wreath making. These short, one-foot trees are made for table toppers.