Where to get your live Christmas tree in Oxford this year

Christmas is just one month away, and with the holiday approaching, it’s time to think about getting your Christmas tree.

Whether you’re new to the area or looking to switch from an artificial to live tree, you’ll have several options in and around town to get your firs this year, all within 20 minutes of Oxford.

Lions Club Christmas Tree Sale

For the past six decades, the Lions Club of Oxford has held an Uptown Christmas tree sale as a fundraiser for the club’s charitable efforts. This year’s sale will begin on Nov. 23 and continue until the trees in Oxford Memorial Park are sold out, which usually happens near the first or second weekend of December.

The hours for the sale are 4-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Lions Club will also have an honor box for payments while the park is unattended.

The trees for the Lions Club sale come from a family-owned tree farm in Sydney, Michigan. This year’s selections will include Scotch Pines for $45 to $75, Douglas Firs for $60 to $85 and Fraser Firs for $85 to $110. Most of the trees will be between 4.5 and 8.5 feet tall.

In the past year, the Lions Club has made more than $25,000 in donations to local organizations. Those donations include $4,500 for Talawanda High School Scholarships, $2,000 for Oxford swimming lesson scholarships, nearly $10,000 to organizations that help with eyesight and more.

Shademakers Garden Center

Shademakers Garden Center’s Christmas trees have already arrived and are available for sale now, but the center is officially launching its Christmas Shop with a Christmas Extravaganza Nov. 30. The event will run from 12-3 p.m. and feature workshops to create centerpieces and pots, a visit from Santa and more. Workshops require signing up in advance by calling 513-523-2427.

Located at 304 W. Collins St., Shademakers will have cut and live Christmas trees available for sale this year in addition to other greenery. The Christmas shop will feature ornaments, lanterns, snow globes, poinsettias and other decorations.

The Garden Center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Shademakers will be closed on Thanksgiving and Dec. 23 through 26. The cut Christmas trees include Fraser Firs ranging from 2 to 10 feet tall, with prices of $42-220. Live trees include 5 to 6-foot White Pines and 5 to -7-foot Norway Spruce.

Christmas trees at Shademakers are in limited supply, and availability diminishes closer to Dec. 25.

Bartels Farm

Bartels Farm, located 20 minutes east of Oxford at 4427 Cotton Run Road, offers several varieties of trees. These options include Cannan and Fraser Firs, Colorado Blue and Norway Spruce, and Eastern White Pines.

This family-owned farm has been planting Christmas trees since 2008. The pricing differs by tree variety, but most are $45 for trees cut in the field. Canaan Firs are $12 per foot, while trees to plant cost $75-100 for certain types.

The 2024 season is by appointment only, and the farm is open on weekends Nov. 29 through Dec. 15. Appointments are available in 15-minute intervals from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Friday, Nov. 29, as well as 12-5 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $10 per family and count toward purchases at the farm.

Beyond Christmas trees, Bartels Farm also sells wreaths and has a Christmas shop.

Koch Christmas Trees

Located on the southern end of Reily Township at 6232 Hamilton-Scipio Road, Koch Christmas Trees has sold live trees for more than two decades. The farm features several types of fir trees, as well as Scotch and White Pine and Blue, White and Norway Spruce. Most of the available trees are 6 to 8 feet tall with some 9 to 10-foot trees.

Koch will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 7 and 8. On Dec. 14, the farm will be open to customers from 12-4 p.m., and the final day to buy a tree will be Dec. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to trees, the farm will also sell wreaths made from the tree brush collected during tree harvesting.

The trees sold by Koch range in price from $60 to more than $150, and customers looking to buy a tree must make a free reservation online at www.kochchristmastrees.com. The farm does not require reservations to buy wreaths.

According to the farm’s website, tree shaking and net wrapping are free of charge, and the farm has tree stands for sale. “Treats and hot chocolate” are also available to customers, and dogs on leashes are permitted.