‘Tis the season for Christmas trees

It wouldn’t be Christmas without some dolled-up greens sprinkled around the house and some good ol’ tree hunting with the family. Whether you like big or small trees, intricate wreaths, garlands or centerpieces — or everything all at once — small businesses on Whidbey have it all.

Langley

Bayview Garden in Langley, which just blew out 30 candles, is not just a greenhouse, but a plant wonderland that has become a tourist attraction. Locals can shop for fresh-cut fraser, noble and nordmann firs, wreaths and garlands, home goods and food, with hot cocoa offered to children for every tree purchase. There is also a wide selection of winter flowering plants that include Hellebore, Camellia, Heather, Lemon Cypress, Wintergreen, Witch Hazel, Winter Hazel, Winter Jasmine and more. The business is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit bayviewgarden.com.

Venture Out Plant Nursery, located on the corner of Highway 525 and Maxwelton Road, offers planted conifers which can be planted outside or displayed in the living room, or pre-cut trees. Visitors can venture through the nursery while kids can drop off their letters to Santa at the Elf Post Office. On the weekends, families can also relax in front of a firepit while making s’mores and drinking some cider or hot cocoa.

The business is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. To learn more, visit ventureoutnursery.com.

Clinton

Was & Has Tree Farm, located at 7140 Linda Lane in Clinton, sells noble, grand and Douglas firs, handmade kissing balls, wreaths, cedar garlands, and some unique wood gifts handcrafted by owner Cassandra Dargits.

Families can cut their trees between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, but Dargits recommends showing up no later than 4:30. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays Dargits welcomes guests by appointment only, which can be made by calling 360-674-8065.

The farm also offers some holiday scenery for photos with family members and friends, who can pose by a gingerbread house, a polar bear, a nativity scene or a snowman family while they snack on candy canes and warm up with a cup of cider.

Scattered Acres Christmas Tree Farm, located at 7111 Heggenes Road, is also a u-cut option where people can bring their own saws or borrow one from the farm. To make an appointment or ask for more information, contact 360-341-4198.

Maxwellton Valley

Full Cycle Farm, located in Maxwellton Valley, crafts wreaths, centerpieces and swags made from branches grown on site or in properties where the business has permission to forage. The farm also includes a small Christmas tree lot where staff harvests branches and leaves from noble firs, Douglas firs, Frasier firs and grand firs, and surrounding cedar and pine trees that provide branches and cones. For more information, visit fullcyclefarm.com. To place an order, contact fullcyclefarm@gmail.com.

Oak Harbor

One of the most affordable options is at the Oak Harbor Lions Club’s tree sale, with prices starting at $34, with all proceeds supporting Lions programs locally and in other areas. Visitors can choose between freshly cut firs — which include noble, nordmann, grand and Douglas — and greenery to make personalized wreaths and garlands at home. At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, the Whidbey All-Island Community Band will sing Christmas carols while families look for the perfect tree.

The club started off with about 500 trees and welcomes residents to stop by while supplies last, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday, next to the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce building. For more information, contact the club at 360-499-6476.

At A Knot in Thyme, located at 4233 Degraff Road in Oak Harbor, guests can shop for fresh pre-cut trees while sipping some hot spiced cider. Tree inventory includes noble firs, grand firs, nordmann firs, Douglas firs, natural noble firs and sheared noble firs, which are most popular among customers. Those who want to go full holiday extravaganza can also shop for holly wreaths, fresh centerpieces that also can be used as horizontal door swags, swags, bouquets and boxed fresh holly for Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts.

The business no longer features the dreamy horse-drawn wagon rides, but if the wreath maker is at work at the greenhouse, children can take a peek and witness fancy arrangements being brought to life.

For more information, call (360) 298-0443 or visit aknotinthyme.com.

Mailliard’s Landing Nursery, located at 3068 North Oak Harbor Road, sells Douglas firs, Frasier firs, white firs, Serbian spruces, Colorado blue spruces and grand firs, with prices starting from $59, according to Plant Manager Priscilla Nefcy. The nursery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit mailliardslanding.com.

Greenhouse Florist & Nursery provides cut and living trees, including small trees, but also poinsettias in baskets, holiday wreaths, garlands, and centerpiece plants in miniature metal Christmas sleds to add an extra touch of fun. The nursery is located at 555 Northeast 7th Avenue, and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Prospective guests can learn more about the wide range of products offered by the nursery at thegreenhousefandn.com or by calling 360-675-6668.

Since 1967, generations of Oak Harbor families have been cutting their own trees at Hennrich Tree Farm, located at 1651 West Hastie Lake Road. This tree farm is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and families are invited to snatch their tree before supplies run out. For more information, call 360-914-1076.

Taking down a tree can be quite the workout but it can make for fun family memories.

At Good Boy Farms, located at 2870 Torpedo Road, families can buy pre-cut trees or cut their own. Director of Communications Kristi Hansen has been involved with the business ever since her family bought it three years ago, and regularly witnesses people’s excitement as they walk around the farm to spot The One and watch the needles fall off as the tree shaker does their job.

“So many families love the experience of grabbing a saw and hunting down a tree,” she said.

Teams of lumberjacks can enjoy the extra reward of sitting in front of a fireplace while enjoying some s’mores, hot cocoa and a cider, and memorialize the day with some photos with a big red sleigh that has been at the farm for decades, or in front of a big Instagram-worthy wreath.

Guests can choose to take home a u-cut noble, Douglas or grand fir, or buy a pre-cut noble, Douglas or nordmann. Those who visit on Dec. 2 will be serenaded by a live Christmas carol, which begins at 10 a.m., according to Hansen.

The farms are open from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit goodboyfarms.com.

Correction: a previous version of this story mistakenly reporter that the Oak Harbor Lions Club were selling Christmas trees Mondays through Fridays. In actuality, the club is selling trees Fridays through Mondays. We regret the error.