Visitors can cut their own trees at Alpine Ranches Tree Farm, southeast of PG

Prince George, B.C. –  There aren’t too many jobs in the world where you just get to make people happy all the time…

And while it’s an admittedly short season for local Christmas tree farm owners, Wendy and David Pelletier, it’s all about cultivating smiles.  This is the 7th season the Pelletiers have opened up their property to families searching for that ‘perfect’ tree.

The couple runs Alpine Ranches Tree Farm, southeast of Prince George off Highway 97, approximately 12-kilometres past Sintich Road. (click here for directions)

Wendy Pelletier says coming out to comb the ranch’s 35-acres is an outing the entire family enjoys.  She says visitors are set up with a sled, a saw and a guide drawing which shows, generally, where they can find an abundance of five different types of trees.  Pelletier says some people are back in five minutes, others take an-hour-and-a-half.

"It’s getting back to the old-fashion tradition of going out to pick your tree together and cutting it down," she says.  "I hear a lot of laughter out there, a lot of running around with kids playing tag amongst the trees, and lots of snowball fights."

"It’s really nice to hear from our end of it," says tree farm owner.  "As a business, you couldn’t have it any better because people are all in a good mood, they’re all having fun, and they leave happy."

Normally, Alpine Ranches is open for a month in the run-up to Christmas, but Pelletier says people started coming earlier this year.  She credits the big dump of snow in mid-November with ‘getting people in the mood’.  The hunt is usually over for most by about December 22nd, but Pelletier did have one young fellow come out in a panic on Christmas Eve a few years ago.  "He wondered if we had any trees left," she laughs, "Well, of course, we have thousands, so ‘No problem,’ I said."

The Pelletiers also offer hot chocolate and hot apple cider to their guests, while listening to the kids’ adventure stories about finding ‘their tree’.  David Pelletier often takes visitors out for a motorized sleigh ride and there’s a frozen pond in the middle of the circular driveway at the ranch where kids take time out to paint the ice.

Wendy says Alpine Ranches now has so many regular customers coming back that she’s watched a few sprout from babies to little people.

The tree farm is open seven days a week, from 9am until 4pm.  Trees prices vary based on size – it’s $7 per foot.