GLENVIEW, Ill. (WGN) - The holiday season is in full swing at Historic Wagner Farm, where more than 200 freshly cut trees will get wrapped up and moved into their indoor homes over the next several days.
Picking the perfect Christmas tree is in the eye of the beholder.
"I like skinny ones that stand up straight, but my family really likes the big chunky ones," Christmas tree shopper Natalie Karlin said.
Sticking with family tradition, the Karlin family made it to Historic Wagner Farm at 10 a.m. Friday, as soon as it opened.
"We need to get our Christmas trees early because if we don't get them now, there's only going to be the small ones that aren't as good," Natalie said.
To help bring the holiday season to life, the family got two Christmas trees ready to decorate.
"I just love going places, picking out more decorations, putting them on the house. It makes me happy. It makes other people happy," JP Karlin said.
Friday marks the first day for Christmas tree sales this season at the farm, and the selection of frasier and balsam firs range anywhere from six to 12 feet. They were shipped in from a farm in Northern Wisconsin and it's likely that close to 200 trees will get sold in the next few days.
"We can run until about a week before Christmas. We'll still have some, but the popular ones are going to go fast," Historic Wagner Farm Director Jonathan Kuester said.
Fresh trees tend to look smaller outside, so remember to measure your space at home first before buying your tree.
"One of our traditions my wife didn't mention, we always buy a tree that's slightly too large for our room so then we have to stress about how to cut the top off," Jerry Karlin said.
Hopefully, that won't be a problem for Raj Bhanvadia who bought one of the larger trees on the farm for his family.
"We got a balsam fir that is 11 feet, which is I think hard to find. It called to us. It just felt right," Bhanvadia said.
Like many things over the last several years, Christmas tree costs have gone up due to weather issues, like droughts and labor shortages.
"For us, it's going to be about $189 for an eight to nine-foot frasier fur, but we've seen them go as high as $300 for a tree that size and I'm sure at a big box store you can get them cheaper than that," Kuester said.
All proceeds from Christmas tree sales benefit Historic Wagner Farm programs and operations.