Christmas tree farm continues to delight
Scents of evergreens — pine and fir — waft through the air mingled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies and kettlecorn. Christmas melodies are punctuated by the giggles of happy children running through the rows of trees waiting for new homes.
Wonderland Christmas Tree Farm just outside of Pea Ridge attracts customers from Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma with some coming from as far as Little Rock.
Business the weekend after Thanksgiving this year was nearly double the business at the same time last year, according to Jill Babb, co-owner of Wonderland Christmas Tree Farm.
In 2019, Martin and Jill Babb sold about 2,350 Christmas trees. In the first five days of business this year, they’ve sold 2,138, Jill said.
The farm opened for business in 2015 as trees planted by the Babbs in 2009 began to mature.
Many area students work there on weekends shaking and bagging trees before loading them on the tops of cars, SUVs and in pick up truck beds.
Several varities of trees — Virginia pine with long soft needles easy for children to decorate; Scotch pine with short, sharp needles; and Leyland cypress — are available. There are also cut Fraser firs from North Carolina.
The Babbs provide handsaws and carts to facilitate cutting and transporting the trees.
A wreath barn is situated behind the gift shop offering wreaths and other greenery.
In the gift shop, there are Christmas ornaments, decorations and stocking stuffers, infant outfits, sugar cookies and pet treats. There are personalized tree ornaments, both bulb and disc, with the name of the tree farm, and Wonderland T-shirts.
There is a complimentary oldfashioned tractor-pulled hayride that will transport customers into the tree fields.
Food from vendors includes Kettlecorn from Kettle Ventures; specialty hot chocolate and waffle trees from Last Drop Coffee; hotdogs, Frito pies, nachos from Downtown Dawgs; and cookies and cinnamon and orange rolls from the Sugar Shack.
“We’re the largest tree farm in northwest Arkansas,” Babb said, adding that a couple of years ago someone from the state of Nevada drove over to buy a tree. “They said they found us online and just took a road trip to come get their tree.”
As for which tree is the most aromatic, she said that’s a personal preference but recommends crushing a couple of needles between fingers in order to discover the essence of the tree’s scent.
“Everyone has their idea of what the perfect Christmas tree is,” she said. “People are pretty type specific.”
Near the tree corrals, there is a red 1953 Chevy and a red sleigh where families pose for pictures.
There are now 22 employees at the farm and many of them are family members.
The Babbs, who have been married 39 years, have four children and 16 grandchildren (with one due in December) including sons Jonathan and Lori and their seven children; son Stephen and Jennifer and their four children; son Ryan and Heidi and their four children; and daughter Kristen and her husband William Wessels and their son.
The third generation enjoys helping Nana and Papa and Jill said she enjoys teaching them about the business.
The farm was named in the 21 best Christmas Tree farms for the perfect family outing in Country Living magazine and one of the Top 10 Christmas tree farms in Arkansas in 2019 by Best Things Arkansas.
In 2020, the farm was featured in The Pioneer Woman as the best tree farm in Arkansas.