COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — With Thanksgiving come and gone, are you team real Christmas tree or do you pull out your artificial one year after year?
A debate on what type of fir you prefer has been around for quite a while.
As long as The Farm Patch has been selling produce in the Brazos Valley, they've also been selling Christmas trees.
They opened up their signature red and white tents Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
"Everybody is definitely ready for their trees this year. It was a big day Friday and yesterday even the rain didn't stop anybody. Everybody is ready for their trees...definitely," Mark B. Scarmardo, Manager of The Farm Patch said.
People are picking out a tree, whether continuing a tradition or simply creating a new one, as they long for a sense of normalcy.
"That's one of the biggest things that people tell us, is that this is their tradition. They come and they see the big red and white tents and do this every year. They want to get outside and get back to normal and do what they always do.... celebrate their traditions and celebrate Christmas," Scarmardo added.
Scarmardo says outside of some converting to real Christmas trees this go-around, the size of the tree that most are getting is changing too.
"I used to say 6-7 feet... 7-8 feet. I guess people are building bigger homes and with taller ceilings, so you know we are selling more big trees...9...10...12-foot trees," Scarmardo said.
The Arellano family has made coming to The Farm Patch's tents a 10 year thing and says the pandemic isn't denting this tradition.
"It is still a big thing because everything is different this year. So keeping the little bit normal that we can, we try," Kristen Arellano, a Bryan resident said.
For the Naegar family, there's no debate on what kind of tree they pick each year and the precedent they've set for their young family.
"Gotta have the real tree" Andrew Naegar said. "Definitely just makes it feel normal. Just been home...we've all been home. There's no better time to make your home feel more special than right now."
Even in the midst of a gloomy time, normalcy and the Christmas spirit can still be found in the form of a fresh-cut evergreen.
"We opened up the day after Thanksgiving and we will be here until we run out of trees or until Christmas eve," Scarmardo said.
If you would like to shop for your holiday tree, garland or greenery with The Farm Patch, simply look for the red and white tents off of University Drive near Razzoo's Cajun Cafe. The Tent's hours are Mon-Sat 9:00-8:00 and Sun 10:00-8:00.