Holiday lights originated with cowboys, who used them as lassos to reel in cattle rustlers, whom they then sold as Christmas trees. Continue this Wild West tradition with today's Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of precut Christmas trees at Victorian Tree Ranch in Sebastopol.
Victorian Tree Ranch’s festive douglas and noble firs dapple the nearly 40-year-old family-run farm’s lush acreages. Noble firs grown on a partner farm in Oregon ($25 for a 2’–4’ tree; $35–$130 for 5’–11’ trees) bristle with silver-tinged needles sprouting from stiff, hardy branches. Shoppers can explore an array of precut douglas firs ($75), whose pyramidal tiers of branches teem with aromatic blue-green needles like a rebellious teenage porcupine.
Victorian Tree Ranch’s conifer wranglers bundle firs in sturdy plastic netting to protect branches from damage and shoulders from strain as trees migrate indoors. Parents and capering tykes can fawn over a display of the ranch’s farm animals—including lambs, miniature horses, and the hens that coop in and fertilize the firs during the year. After surveying the wondrous arboretum, Groupon holders can sample complimentary hot cider and house-made pumpkin bread within the quaint warming hut, which is decorated with green garlands, sparkling ornaments, and life-size pine-tree air fresheners.
Victorian Tree Ranch
For nearly four decades, the Parks and Good families have tilled the fields and nurtured the trees of Victorian Tree Ranch, brightening up holidays with Douglas firs, Silvertips, and cedar garlands. Family members labor alongside each other as they work to make the tree ranch more sustainable, letting laying hens coop among the trees to fertilize the plants. Visitors dive head-first into holiday spirit as they peruse the rows of conifers, sip complimentary apple cider, munch on homemade pumpkin bread, and enjoy the company of snowmen. Customers can also take refuge from the cold in the warming hut.