Live Christmas trees sell hot on cold Black Friday, through the weekend
Christmas tree farms in Butler County were bustling on Black Friday and through the weekend after Thanksgiving with people who revel in the smell and the holiday atmosphere that emanates from freshly cut fir, spruce and pine trees.
“It was a great day today,” Jack Grupp of Grupp’s Christmas tree Farm north of Harmony said Friday.
The family run farm opens the week before Thanksgiving, but the weekend after turkey day is when tree sales launch.
Grupp said it is not to early to buy a live tree and enjoy it through Christmas and New Year’s with a little care and attention.
“It’s not too early and they’ll hold up well past Christmas,” Grupp said. “We always recommend making a fresh cut on the bottom before putting it up. Add water right away, check the water a couple times a day. That’s going to give you the best chance of keeping it healthy.”
Setting up trees away from furnace registers and grills, and windows facing the sun also helps them last, he said.
“They’ll last well into the first of the year without any issues. Make sure it doesn’t run out of water, and you’ll have a successful Christmas season,” Grupp said.
He grows and sells concolor and Canaan firs, and sells pre-cut Frazier firs, which he buys. People can buy pre-cut or cut their own concolors and Canaans, which are named after their place of origin, the Canaan Valley in West Virginia.
“We have a whole barn full of pre-cut trees,” Grupp said.
All fir tress have short soft needles. Concolors have a distinct citrus scent while Canaans have a different scent. Both hold their needles well, but concolor needles tend to stay on branches a bit longer, he said.
When it comes time to pick a tree, the hands-on approach works best. It starts with picking a tree with the desired size and shape.
“Pull the needles. Pull the branch. If the needles fall off, you probably want to avoid that tree,” Grupp said.
His seasonal crew of high school and college students bundle the trees in string to make them easier to load in the truck or on the roof of a car or the bed of a truck.
After a tree is brought home, set up and decorated, it’s time to enjoy it.
“People don’t sit around the Christmas presents. They sit around the tree,” Grupp said. “This is the time to enjoy a nice tree.”
Christmas trees can continue bringing joy after the holidays. Grupp suggests laying the tree in the backyard with bird seeds to turn it into a sanctuary for birds and squirrels.
“Animals are always looking for shelter and looking for cover,” he said.
Thousands of trees grow on the farm, and new trees are planted every year. The wet spring this year was beneficial for the conifers, but some young trees didn’t develop a root structure strong enough to survive the dry summer, he said.
“We work hard all year long so people can enjoy the trees. It’s an all-year effort to grow, maintain, prune, fertilize. We appreciate people coming to support us,” Grupp said.
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Aaron Severance cuts down a tree to take home at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Grupp’s Christmas trees in Harmony, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Zoey Pechulis hunts for the perfect Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Alexandria Maloney and Aaron Severance examine a Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Grupp’s Christmas trees staff wrap trees before visitors take them home, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Katie and Ryan Pechulis examine a tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Ryan Pechulis cuts down a Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Pechulis family look for this year's Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Alexandria Maloney checks out a Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Grupp’s Christmas trees in Harmony, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Pechulis family look for this year's Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Cooper Pechulis helps his family decide on a Christmas tree at Grupp's Tree Farm, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
