By DENISE VASTOLA

Three-year old Mingus Huss, dressed in beige overalls and a red and black checkered jacket, looks up the tree-covered hill with wide, expectant eyes. Wearing holiday-themed Crocs on his feet – one green and one red – the little boy dashes ahead of his parents and points at a Christmas tree no taller than he. “This one,” he says.

His parents and grandparents follow, encouraging him to explore acre upon acre of live Christmas trees that stand anywhere from 12 inches to 18 feet.

The little boy continues his trek through the 15-acre farm, unaware that he’s carrying on a family tradition that began two generations ago in the mid-West.

“We’ve been cutting down our own Christmas trees ever since I was a little girl,” said Sarah Huss, Mingus’ mother. “My brother and I would fight for hours over who would get to pick the tree.”

Cutting down a Christmas tree at the same location is part of the tradition for some  patrons of Christmas Ranch Tree Farms, said to Marilyn Cameron, who along with husband Don, own the Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley locations.

“At least two families who bought trees when when we first opened in 1974, still visit each year,” said Cameron.  “Now, they are bringing not only their children, but their grand children.  We have others who have been coming almost as long.”

Simi Valley resident, Suzy Kavanagh says she and her family have been visiting the tree farm for at least 15 years.

“Every year, we come here to cut down our tree. It’s a family tradition,” said Kavanagh.  “ We all gather at the parking lot and then we hop in the old Vietnam-era truck, go to the other side of the hill, and cut down the tree.”

Kavanagh and husband Dick are meeting up with daughter Kim, son Mike, daughter-in-law Sheri, three grandchildren and two friends. The family will cut down two trees – one pudgy tree for the woman her grandkids call “Grammy” and a skinnier one for her son.

While most environmental experts say that Christmas trees are a renewable resource, because a new tree is planted for each that is cut down, it is not the reason most people choose them over artificial trees.

“We like to cut our own tree. It smells good and stays fresher longer,” said Huss as she watches her son continue the search.

After helping his father, Ryan Allen, cut down the family Christmas tree, Mingus sits by the bonfire, sipping hot cocoa and eating a candy cane. But, the best is yet to come, according to the little boy with red and green Crocs. When he arrives home, he gets to help his parents decorate the tree, and his favorite decorations are the lights.

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Tags:  Christmas Ranch Tree Farms Christmas trees cut-your-own tree Denise Vastola Don Cameron family tradition Marilyn Cameron Mike Kavanagh Simi Valley Suzy Kavanagh Thousand Oaks