Wilson Glyn Christmas Tree Farm in Sevierville Creates Lasting Holiday Memories
Every year around October, when the air begins to cool in Sevier County, Hal Wilson notices phone calls and emails becoming more frequent as potential customers become eager to know when they can come to pick out their Christmas tree.
“We change from everyday life to Christmas tree farmers,” Wilson says.
See more: Christmas Tree Care Tips From a Tennessee Tree Farmer
Rooted in History
From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Wilson Glyn Christmas Tree Farm is open for business. The 6-acre tree farm nestled between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge has been in Wilson’s family since the 1800s. During the Civil War, his family crossed the Appalachians from western North Carolina and settled in Sevier County on a 300-acre property. Around half that acreage remains in the family, including the homestead where Wilson grew up with his parents and eight siblings. Since the farm was first settled in 1868, there has always been something growing on the land.
“It’s been a lot of different things,” Wilson says. “The farm has produced grain from a gristmill, corn, tobacco, beef cattle, and more.”
Today, it is the plot of Frasier firs, Norway spruce and Canaan firs that have made Wilson Glyn Farm a popular destination.
“When you enter our property, it’s like it was 100 years ago,” Wilson says. “People enjoy coming here. They go back in time.”
Growing a Tradition
Customers come from as far as Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina to choose their trees. Many are vacationers looking for the perfect decoration for their cabin. Yet locals are always some of the first to choose their trees when the farm opens after Thanksgiving. The farm sometimes sells trees all the way up to Christmas Day.
“People come from the whole Southeast,” Wilson says.
Getting ready for the holiday season is a long process and involves much of Wilson’s family, from his wife, Sandy, to his children, brothers, nieces and nephews. Each spring, the family plants up to 1,500 transplants of different varieties and tends to them throughout the spring and summer.
“It really is a yearlong process but well worth it,” Wilson says.
It takes eight to 10 years for a tree to reach 7 feet in height, growing 10 or 12 inches each year. The farm is decades in the making, and many of the first trees were planted in the late 1990s when Wilson was inspired by a gift from his daughter – a book on growing Christmas trees for pleasure and profit. It wasn’t until 2013 that the Wilsons began selling their trees.
“I’ve always farmed and grown things,” Wilson says. “Growing Christmas trees is more of an adventure than anything.”
An Evergreen Experience at Wilson Glyn Christmas Tree Farm
The process comes full circle when customers begin arriving in late fall. Wilson Glyn Farm provides a full “choose and cut” experience. Upon arrival, customers are given a bow saw and a small sled, then they set off across the farm to find their perfect tree. Those wishing for the full experience can take the quarter-mile hike across the property, while plenty of trees are also available near the barn. For kids and adults alike, the experience is an adventure that brings people back year after year.
“If it were not my tree farm, I would enjoy it, too,” Wilson says.
See more: 10 Tennessee Christmas Tree Farms to Visit This Holiday Season
Family roots have always been strong on the Wilsons’ centuries-old property. In the homestead where Wilson grew up, the family now sells small gifts made by his niece, along with handmade wreaths and crafts made by Wilson himself from tree scraps and leftover farm materials. People visiting from across the Southeast have the chance to take in the natural beauty of the area, from hiking through quiet rows of Christmas trees to feeding sheep and goats on the farm.
“We have a little island of peace and quiet here,” Wilson says.
The True Meaning of Christmas
Each year, customers send pictures to the Wilsons of decorated trees now standing in their homes or cabins. Seeing the smiles on customers’ faces makes the work meaningful for the family. Yet sometimes those smiles are accompanied by tears as visitors remember bittersweet memories from Christmases gone by.
“People see or smell something and it triggers what Christmas meant to them,” Wilson says. “I think that’s why they come.”
As the holiday season draws near, Wilson looks forward to the small but meaningful moments that accompany it, from the smiles of children choosing their tree to the emotional reactions to a familiar song. For now, it is time to clean out the barn and open the farm to visitors.
“People are free to come and have a good time and find their tree,” Wilson says.
Wilson Glyn Christmas Tree Farm
Location: 950 Wilson Hollow Way in Sevierville
Phone: (865) 654-9503 or (865) 436-2590
Website: wilsonglynfarm.com
Open Nov. 24 through Christmas (as long as trees are available). Hours are subject to change, so check their Facebook page for daily updates.
Find a Christmas tree farm in your neck of the woods at tennesseechristmastrees.org.
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