The Magic of a Christmas Tree

From an Upper East Side Texas Farm to a Family’s Living Room, a Holiday Tradition Creates Memories That Last a Lifetime.

By Sharon Harper

Somewhere in a field near Terrell, a Christmas tree is growing. Through the heat of summer and the cooler days of fall, its branches reach toward the sky. It may be tall and straight, with perfectly spaced limbs, or perhaps its trunk bends a little to one side. It might even be the tree that most families walk right past. But come Christmas, that crooked little tree could be exactly what one family is looking for.

At Walls Family Farm, rows of evergreens wait for the day when families arrive to choose the trees that will become part of their Christmas celebrations. Some trees are tall and full, others short and a little uneven. Each has spent years growing in the East Texas soil, waiting for a family to take it home.

For one of those trees, the journey begins when a tractor pulls a trailer filled with families into the field. Children climb down, eager to begin the search, while parents follow behind. They wander among the rows, looking at different shapes and sizes, trying to agree on just the right tree. Some families know exactly what they’re looking for. Others discover that the perfect Christmas tree isn’t necessarily perfect at all.

That’s especially true for Angela Pikett and her seven children, Sophia, Vivian, Jack, Katy, Liam, Eva and Margot. The Piketts have been coming to Walls Family Farm since 2020, when Angela and her husband, Jon, became friends with the Walls family. Before then, they generally purchased their Christmas trees from retail stores. But a visit to the farm changed that, turning what had been a simple holiday errand into an annual family outing.

Jon particularly loved real Christmas trees, and he had a soft spot for those with a little character. A crooked trunk, an unusual shape or a few uneven branches often caught his attention. While other families searched for the fullest, straightest tree in the field, Jon was drawn to the ones that might otherwise be overlooked. Today, that preference remains part of the family’s tradition.

For a tree growing at Walls Family Farm, the arrival of the Piketts means plenty of attention. Seven children have opinions about which tree should come home, and finding one everyone agrees on can take some time. One child spots a tall tree. Another prefers something smaller. Someone else finds one with fuller branches, while another likes a tree with plenty of room for ornaments.

Eventually, the family makes its choice. The children take turns with the saw, quickly discovering that cutting down a Christmas tree takes more effort than it appears to in the movies. Once the tree is down, it’s time for the tractor ride back to the farm’s shop, where families can enjoy holiday treats, visit with friends and let the children play.

Choosing the right size can be tricky. One year, the Piketts brought home a tree that seemed just right in the field, only to discover that it was too tall for their living room. A little additional trimming solved the problem.

And then there’s the Christmas tree trip that no one in the family is likely to forget. With seven children traveling in two vehicles, Angela thought Jon had their youngest daughter, Margot, with him. Jon thought she was riding with Angela. The family had been at the farm for about half an hour when they realized Margot was still at home.

Angela hurried back to get her and made sure Margot didn’t miss out on the fun. Later, they took her on a special trip to the farm, where she chose her very own little Christmas tree for her bedroom. It became one more memory from a place that already held so many.

For the tree chosen by the Piketts, the journey continues with a ride home. Its days growing in the field are over, but a new purpose awaits. Once inside the Pikett home, the tree takes its place in the living room. Its branches spread out, and the fresh scent of evergreen begins to fill the house.

Boxes of ornaments come down from the attic, Christmas music plays and the children gather around, eager to begin decorating. But first come the lights.

For years, this was Jon’s job. Rather than simply draping lights over the outer branches, he carefully wrapped them around the center of the tree, creating a warm glow that seemed to shine from within. Now, his older daughters carry on that tradition, carefully winding the strands around the trunk and inner branches the way their father taught them.

Once the lights are in place, the ornaments come out. The Pikett family doesn’t decorate with matching ornaments or a carefully planned color scheme. Their tree is filled with keepsakes collected over the years, souvenirs from family vacations, gifts from grandparents and decorations that remind them of special moments.

Each ornament finds a place among the branches. The younger children tend to hang theirs within easy reach, leaving the lower limbs crowded while the upper branches wait for attention. Eventually, someone rearranges a few decorations to make room for more. An angel or star goes on top, and the tree is ready for Christmas.

What was once an evergreen growing in a field is now something much more. It holds the family’s memories, lights their living room and becomes part of the daily excitement as Christmas approaches.

As December passes, the tree stands in the center of the family’s holiday activities. A few presents appear beneath its branches, and the children count the days until Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the Piketts gather for traditions that have become as familiar as the ornaments hanging on the tree.

The children open new pajamas and change into them before settling in for the evening. Sometimes they make pallets on the living room floor near the tree. The family reads the story of Jesus’ birth from the second chapter of Luke, and if someone remembers, cookies are left out for Santa.

Eventually, the house grows quiet. While the children sleep, more presents appear beneath the branches. By morning, the space around the tree is filled with gifts waiting to be opened.

The children gather around the tree, eager to see what Santa has brought. Wrapping paper piles up, gifts are passed around, and the room fills with the laughter and excitement of a large family celebrating together. Through it all, the tree stands quietly in the middle of the room, its branches holding the ornaments that tell the family’s story.

For a few weeks, it has been the center of Christmas in the Pikett home. But the memories being made around it will last much longer, especially those that remind the family of someone who is deeply missed.

In 2024, Jon died of colon cancer. That Christmas, Angela and the children returned to Walls Family Farm without him. They walked among the trees, just as they had done together in previous years, and continued the tradition he loved. They looked for a tree with character, one Jon might have chosen himself.

Back at home, the familiar boxes of ornaments came out, and his older daughters took over the job of putting on the lights. They carefully wrapped the strands around the center of the tree, just as their father had done. The result was beautiful, Angela remembers.

Today, the family continues visiting Walls Family Farm each Christmas. The search for a tree is no longer simply an outing. It’s a connection to Jon and the years they spent making memories together.

For Angela, those ordinary afternoons at the farm have taken on greater meaning. The children may not remember every tree they chose, but they remember walking through the rows with their father, laughing together and searching for one that was just right. One of the daughters says visiting the Christmas tree farm is her favorite part of Christmas, a tradition she hopes to continue with her own family someday.

And so, the story of a Christmas tree becomes part of a much larger family story, one that continues from one generation to the next.

Eventually, Christmas morning becomes a memory, the presents are put away and a new year begins. But the tree remains. For the Piketts, the Christmas tree often stays in the living room for a couple of weeks into January. Its lights continue to brighten the evenings until it’s finally time to take down the decorations. The ornaments are carefully removed and returned to their boxes. The lights are unwound from the branches, and the tree is carried outside. Its journey isn’t quite finished.

The Piketts cut up their tree, keeping the wood for their outdoor fire pit and winter fires. During the cold months of January and February, the tree that once filled their home with the scent of Christmas becomes part of the family’s time gathered around the fire. Angela remembers the way the dry needles crackle and send sparks into the air. Margot calls them “tiny fireworks.”

It’s one final memory from a tree that has already given the family so much. Eventually, the last of the tree is gone. But the ornaments remain, tucked safely away until next Christmas. So do the memories of the trip to the farm, the laughter, the decorating and the people who shared those moments.

And somewhere at Walls Family Farm, another tree is growing. Its branches may be straight or crooked. It may be tall and full or a little uneven. For now, it stands among the rows of evergreens, waiting for the day a family comes walking through the field.

Perhaps a child will point to it. Perhaps a parent will wonder whether it will fit in the living room. Someone will pick up a saw, and another Christmas journey will begin.

Because the magic of a Christmas tree isn’t simply in how it looks or how brightly it shines. It’s in the memories made along the way.