Holiday Acres

Choose and cut Virginia pine in the field

Choose and cut Virginia pine in the field with the saw the farm provides, along with measuring sticks and twine to tie the tree to your car. Do not cut trees smaller than 5 feet tall, and do not cut baby trees. Rows are priced by height from 5 to 6 feet up to 11 feet and above.

Tall trees can bush out at the top and have bare lower branches, and the farm will trim the top up for you if you cut one of those trees. Wear closed-toe shoes and long pants, and expect the field to be wet if it has rained. The farm is open in the rain, but if there is lightning customers cannot go out into the field. Arrive by 5pm, since the field has no lighting.

Tree prices and what comes with a tree

Tree prices for the season are to be determined, so ask the farm for the price of a Virginia pine by height, and for the price of a pre-cut Fraser fir, before you come. Shaking out loose needles, baling and help tying the tree on are included in the price of your tree, and tips to the tree workers are appreciated.

Tree stands, tree preservatives and biodegradable tree disposal bags are available for purchase, and so are roasting sticks, though you are welcome to bring your own sticks and marshmallows for the campfire. The farm takes cash, checks and any credit card.

Pre-cut Fraser fir, wreaths and snacks

Premium fresh-cut Fraser firs come from North Carolina and Michigan. The trunks get a fresh cut and the trees go into water when they arrive at the farm. Pre-cut trees run from 6 to 12 feet in one-foot steps.

Fresh Fraser fir wreaths, centerpieces, swags and candle rings are for sale in the barn. Candy, snacks, soft drinks and bottled water are available for purchase, some days there is a food truck at the farm, and picnic tables are set out; you are welcome to bring your own lunch. Ask the farm for prices. There is no Santa, since the farm keeps things simple for a country Christmas atmosphere.

Season days and hours

Holiday Acres opens for Christmas tree sales on Friday, November 27. Fridays and Saturdays run from 9am to 5pm, and Tuesdays through Thursdays run from 1pm to 5pm. The farm is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Arrive by 5pm; the campfire is doused and the hot cocoa put away at 5:15pm.

Ask the farm about Sundays and Mondays and for a last day of the season. Facilities are for Christmas tree customers and those with a paid photo session reservation, so plan to come for a tree.

Homeschool Day

Homeschool Day is Friday, December 4, from 10am to 3pm. Admission is $7 per person for anyone age 3 and above, with a maximum of $25 per family living in the same home. The day brings a campfire, hot cocoa, the natural play area, Texas sledding, Texas snow ball fights (the snow balls are fabric), dressing the scarecrow, decorating a tree, a Christmas tree farm sensory table and an educational presentation.

Bring a lunch and a lawn chair; snacks are for purchase. Ask the farm how tree sales run that Friday and for weather updates. The farm is not hosting other field trips this season, and the barn is no longer rented for parties and weddings.

• Homeschool Day ↗

Photo sessions at the farm

The farm is a photography venue, and sessions are booked online through the farm's scheduler, with a deposit and the balance due two weeks before. On session days the farm is not open to the public. Rates are per photographer, in full-hour increments, and families are welcome to take their own photos at the same rate as professional photographers. Ask the farm to confirm the rates when you book.

Several set pieces are booked as their own two-hour sessions: the Cabin Backdrop and Santa's Workshop are $65 on a weekday and $75 on a weekend, the Antique Tractor is $65 and $75, the Mistletoe Farm Retro Camper is $75 and $90, and the Red Truck is $100 and $125. A promotional shot appointment is $60 for one hour and one family. Vehicles are not allowed in the tree field, a hay wagon carries people on busy days, and leashed dogs are welcome but cats are not.

• Photo sessions and booking ↗

Getting there and practical details

Holiday Acres is at 8919 Mustang Bayou Road in Manvel. The farm's maroon barn is right up front, and the farm has a grain silo more than a century old, the oldest remaining grain silo in Brazoria County, which the farm calls the Leaning Tower of Manvel.

Leashed dogs are welcome, and bags are asked for any messes, even in the tree field. The farm takes cash, checks and any credit card. Ask the farm about restrooms, accessibility and tax. Groups can reach the farm by email, but cannot be accommodated on Saturdays.

The farm, the family and contacts

Rocky and Leigh Ann Smith planted the first seedlings more than 25 years ago. Next door, Eric and Betty Nesline's Mistletoe Farm grows the cypress that Holiday Acres sells, a joint partnership between two farms, though its fields are closed this season.

The farm is not able to take phone calls or return voicemails. Email info@theholidayacres.com with general questions and group visits, or holidayacresphotos@gmail.com with photo-session questions.

• Holiday Acres website ↗