It’s about more than trees at Bourdet’s
Bourdet’s Christmas Tree Farm at 1271 Los Viboras Road, off
Fairview near Hollister, has been providing Christmas trees to the
public for 20 years. Families are able to pick out, and even cut
down their own tree with saws that are on hand. But Bourdet’s is
about more than Christmas trees.
It’s about more than trees at Bourdet’s
Pinnacle Staff Report
Bourdet’s Christmas Tree Farm at 1271 Los Viboras Road, off Fairview near Hollister, has been providing Christmas trees to the public for 20 years. Families are able to pick out, and even cut down their own tree with saws that are on hand. But Bourdet’s is about more than Christmas trees.
Open for just a few weeks before Christmas each year, the bucolic farm, set along a lane embraced by towering eucalyptus trees, aims to give people a complete holiday experience – a way of starting the season right.
Employees smile and wish passersby happy holidays. Santa provides an ample lap. Children can use a giant ruler with Santa on it to measure how much they have grown in the past year. A hay sleigh ride pulled by a tractor can take about 50 children of any age at one time around the farm to see the trees and paintings of colorful animated characters. There is also a petting zoo filled with animals. Children are encouraged to feed the animals with a supply kept on hand as a fund-raiser for local youth agriculture programs.
A variety of hot foods and beverages are also available, and tables welcome picnickers.
Additionally, many free activities are scheduled for the weekends there to entertain family members of all ages. John Bourdet, who owns the farm with his wife, Tina, said that he expects this weekend to be the busiest of the season. The children’s activities will be there this and next weekend only.
Last weekend, people still recovering from Thanksgiving feasting filled the place, but with ample parking and acres of trees, it never seemed crowded. Dozens of young people who work there for a few weeks each year bustled around, hauling trees, tagging them and assisting families in making a selection. An enormous tree – perhaps 15 feet – revolved slowly on a turntable as it was flocked to a wintry white.
Bourdet’s trees come on unique stands that provide a stable footing for the tree and a dripless water reservoir. The stands are inserted into a deep hole drilled into the bottom of each tree, and Bourdet’s allows customers to return last year’s stands, where they’re refurbished and recycled.
For more information contact Bourdet’s Christmas Tree Farm at 636-1971.
