Turkey Creek Christmas Tree Farm, McCormick, South Carolina

 

“Oh what fun it is to pick out a Christmas tree.”

Said by all

On the weekend after Thanksgiving every year, we have a tradition of going to Turkey Creek Christmas Tree Farm to find our Christmas tree. And every year we come home with the most perfect Christmas tree ever. Each year we say, “This is the prettiest tree yet”. And I do believe that each year our tree is more beautiful thanks to this tree farm.

We drive a good 45 minutes to get to this farm located at 211 Wade Morgan Road in McCormick, SC but it is worth it. The last leg of our trip, is down a long, firm dirt road that goes through some beautiful woods and over a creek. It is a beautiful ride. This year, we got over anxious and decided to go the day after Thanksgiving so we could get an early start on Christmas. I love decorating the house for the holidays and our tree is the main attraction. After driving through the wooded area, the land opens up and you can see Christmas trees on the left. When you pull in, you are kindly greeted and feel like family returning home for a visit. Every year, when we get out of our car it feels like we were just there. The years are flying by.

This Christmas tree farm is owned and cared for by Dale Cullum and his wife, Shelia and family who own 48 acres. They use 15 acres of their property to plant and sell Christmas trees since 1989. They have many varieties of trees to chose from including, white pines, Leland cypress, Virginia pine, as well as some trees that are fresh cut Frazier Furs and other trees from North Carolina. The cut trees go fast so you want to get one, you need to be there early.

The Christmas trees take at least seven years to grow to size and during that time, Dale meticulously trims each and every tree both in the Spring and Fall while also keeping an eye on the trees for fungi and bugs. Dale and Shelia started their business by taking their trees to Augusta and running a Christmas tree lot until 2000 when they decided to open their farm so people could choose and cut their own tree. He sells trees from the day after Thanksgiving to December 23rd each year.

There is a kiddie train for children to ride that takes them through the tree farm as well as a tractor ride. The staff will drive around and pick up your tree to take to their shop where they will shake your tree and wrap it for your trip home. They will even help you load the tree on your car if you need help, They have hot chocolate at their store which is a great way to end the festive day, especially when there is a chill in the air. There is also a fire pit to warm up by.

Before heading out to the fields, we picked up a saw from their tree wrapping area. We always enjoy the thrill of walking his beautiful property to find the perfect tree. It is peaceful exploring the tree farm. It is always a delight to hear the children filled with joy as they ask mom and dad if this is their perfect tree. This time, we walked near his pond to a different lot than we usually use. We walked right up to our tree. This tree stood out to us being the right size, fullness, and perfectly shaped. She was standing apart of the other trees and was flawless.

There is a kiddie train for the kids to ride that takes them through the trees as well as a tractor ride. The staff will drive around and pick up your tree to take to their shop where they will shake your tree and wrap it for your trip home. They will even help you load the tree on your car if you need help.  The store sells fresh wreaths and garland and has hot chocolate to drink which is a great way to end the festive day, especially when there is a chill in the air.

Our tree now sits in our living room as the centerpiece. She now glitters and shines with decorations and mementos of years past now. Each and every decoration means something special to us from past trips and our children’s ornaments from the past. White lights make her glow and the star tops it off. She is adored by all, including our cats who are mesmerized by her.

This is a great place to go and start a new family tradition. The Cullum family are very friendly and are a joy to do business with. Their trees are priced by the foot and are very reasonable. Thank you Cullum family for taking care of these beautiful trees and making our Christmas special year after year.

Till next year. Bye for now.