Christmas tree season is short, intense, and years in the making.
The MacNeill family are the new owners of River Wind Tree Farm in Lancaster, Massachusetts. (Photo by Susan Unger Snoonian Photography)
By Annie Jonas
Advertisement
5 minutes to read
Christmas tree farmers across Massachusetts had their own kind of Black Friday this year. On Nov. 28, Governor Maura Healey dubbed the day “Green Friday,” a push to kick off the holiday season while spotlighting the state’s Christmas tree and nursery industries.
While shoppers elsewhere woke before dawn to map out traffic-free routes, scour deals, and stack lawn chairs in car trunks to claim a place in line, farmers were already in the thick of a different kind of rush — one that had been years in the making.
Advertisement
The Christmas tree season, after all, begins long before the holidays arrive. For Meagan MacNeill, the new co-owner of River Wind Tree Farm in Lancaster, this year marked her very first season in the business. And as it turned out, she was unprepared, she said.
Customers began gathering at 9 a.m., an hour before opening, eager to flood the fields and begin their search for the perfect tree. It was all-hands on deck for the MacNeills; Meagan assembled both her immediate and extended family to help out.
The season began and closed in a flash. They sold out of cut-your-own trees the very next day, on Saturday, Nov. 29, and of pre-cut trees two weekends later.
The one word Meagan used to describe the season? “Insanity,” she said without missing a beat.
“I think it’s a new Olympic sport, getting the biggest and best Christmas tree,” she added with a laugh.
Advertisement
The challenges
The MacNeills are one of 459 Christmas tree farms across the state, which operate on nearly 3,000 acres of land and contribute more than $4.5 million to the local economy every year.
Like MacNeill, many farmers sold out of trees quicker this year than in years past (particularly since before the pandemic), according to David Morin, the communications liaison and former president of the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association. He also owns Arrowhead Acres in Uxbridge, a Christmas tree farm and wedding venue.
Pre-pandemic, he was open for four weekends: Thanksgiving weekend, plus the three following it. He doubled his sales in 2020 during the pandemic. Now, he’s struggling to meet demand with a lower inventory.
“I was lucky to make it through two weekends. I actually shut down early on the second weekend because I didn’t have enough trees,” he said.
Valentina Encina, 6, dashes between trees while hiding from her family at Holiday Tree Farm in Topsfield, MA on December 6, 2025. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)
It’s not just that individual farms are struggling to meet demand, but that the number of farms nationally are dwindling. Between 2002 and 2022, the number of farms growing Christmas trees fell by nearly 30%, down from more than 13,600 to about 10,000, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, an agricultural organization.
Why are there fewer farms? Illan Kessler, who operates North Pole Xmas Trees, a wholesale grower in Colebrook, New Hampshire and choose-and-cut Noel’s Tree Farm in Litchfield, attributed the decline to farmers aging out of the industry. This, coupled with a lack of interest from the next generation to continue the business, means fewer farms.
Advertisement
“They get older, and then no one takes over, so there’s less and less tree farms,” he said.
It takes between seven and 10 years to grow a Christmas tree. Farmers are competing not just with national chains like Home Depot or Walmart — which “are super-influencers when it comes to price,” Kessler said — but also with artificial Christmas tree suppliers.
“The artificial Christmas tree companies make so much revenue that they have a marketing budget that eclipses — at a magnitude of thousands-to-one — what real Christmas tree growers have to promote and market their own products,” Kessler added.
Jeff Taylor prepares a price tag for a Christmas tree on Windswept Mountains View Christmas Tree Farm in Richmond, New Hampshire November 19, 2025. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)
Prices of trees have gone up this year compared to last too, driven by inflation and tariffs along with a dwindling labor force and increasing costs of seedlings and machinery, Kessler and Morin said.
Morin likened being a Christmas tree farmer to a “love-hate” relationship.
“The week after you’ve sold the trees, you’re in love with them. But for the other 11 months of the year, if it isn’t gypsy moths or caterpillars or one kind of a bug or another, or lack of rain or too much rain, it’s a constant hassle,” he said.
Advertisement
But despite it all, they wouldn’t give it up for the world.
“It’s like a Hallmark movie,” said Kessler. “We love selling Christmas trees, and we are super grateful to be in this business. I feel so blessed. I love what I do,” he added.
Joy to the world
Meagan and Steven MacNeill had dreamed of owning a Christmas tree farm in Vermont when they were newlyweds, but life got in the way. Before becoming farmers, Meagan worked as a school counselor, and Steven worked as a pharmacist — a job he still holds full time, she said.
“I knew, for me in particular, the traditional kind of 9-to-5 job didn’t feel right,” she said. She started working at a garden center and volunteering at an alpaca farm in Harvard on Sundays to satisfy the itch to be outdoors working in nature. Her husband later joined her at the alpaca farm, and it became their Sunday morning tradition for almost two years.
The couple bought River Wind Tree Farm in June from the Wareck family, fulfilling their two-decades-old dream to be Christmas tree farmers.
Advertisement
But it wasn’t the fairy tale they had dreamed it to be. From learning to identify the farm’s many tree varieties — including exotic Christmas trees such as Nordmann fir, Korean balsam, and noble fir — to navigating drought and pest pressures, the experience was as much a challenge as it was a labor of love for the MacNeill family.
“The way the season looked was kind of a crapshoot because we had no idea what we were doing,” Meagan laughed. “It’s been a big learning curve for us. We still have a ton to learn.”
The MacNeill family own River Wind Tree Farm in Lancaster, Massachusetts. (Photo by Susan Unger Snoonian Photography)
The MacNeills plan on adding alpacas to the farm next year, and are getting creative on keeping revenue flowing outside of the Christmas tree season by holding photoshoots at the farm.
Despite the arduous work, whirlwind season, years of preparation, and fierce competition, Meagan is grateful to be in the industry — and she’s not looking back.
For many Christmas tree farmers, herself included, the pull is hard to define. It’s rooted in community, tradition, and the simple joy of bringing people together for the holidays.
“It’s the joy of people coming to pick out their Christmas tree, and even having my family be a part of it,” Meagan said. “People coming out and just connecting to the land for a little while, or being with their family, and having these traditions that are not centered around electronics, but just being present. It’s so special.”
A Massachusetts police department is mourning the death of one of its own after an officer was struck and killed while attempting to assist a broken-down driver on a highway.
The Uxbridge Police Department has hung black bunting above its main entrance as it receives condolences from across the Bay State following the incident early Wednesday morning.
The crash unfolded at about 12:45 a.m., when the officer was trying to help a motorist in the northbound lanes of Route 146, a main artery in the Worcester County town that borders Rhode Island.
Authorities identified the fallen officer on Wednesday afternoon as Stephen Laporta, 43, of Uxbridge. The Massachusetts State Police is investigating the crash.
Advertisement
“This is a devastating loss for our department and our community,” Police Chief Marc Montminy said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the officer’s family, loved ones, and fellow officers during this incredibly difficult time.”
Gov. Maura Healey has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all state buildings in honor of LaPorta.
“I am heartbroken over the news of Officer Stephen LaPorta’s passing,” the governor said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “He knew he was headed into a dangerous situation when he responded to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash, but like all of our officers do day in and day out, he put the public’s safety first – and he tragically made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Authorities closed Route 146 for hours after the crash, with investigators working the scene. The icy, frozen road reopened around 10 a.m.
Uxbridge First Holy Night, a community organization, offered its condolences to the department via social media, saying the loss is also felt “across our entire town.”
Advertisement
“Our officers are more than public servants — they are neighbors, friends, parents, children, and family,” the group stated. “When one of our own falls, we all grieve together.”
“Uxbridge is a close-knit community,” it added, “and in moments like this, we lean on one another. May we surround this family and our police department with compassion, strength, and support in the days ahead.”
Police departments from across the region sent cruisers to participate in a procession that accompanied a vehicle carrying LaPorta’s body to a medical examiner’s office before daybreak.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association described the officer as a “fallen hero” and the death as “heartbreaking news.”
“Another police officer killed in the line of duty. This time in Uxbridge,” the association stated in a social media post. “The officer was involved in a motor vehicle crash while attempting to assist a motorist on Rte. 146 early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the officer’s family and the entire Uxbridge Police Department during this incredibly difficult time.”
Advertisement
State Rep. Mike Soter, whose Central Massachusetts district includes Uxbridge, said his “heart sank” when learning of the death.
“This is so close to home,” he said in a Facebook post. “May GOD watch over this officer’s family and his fellow officers today as they need our strength as a community. May the officer’s memory be eternal always!”
In June 2024, the Uxbridge Police Department celebrated LaPorta’s promotion to full-time patrolman.
“He may seem familiar to you all because Ofc. LaPorta has already been actively serving our wonderful town as a full-time Dispatcher and working part-time patrol shifts,” the department stated in a Facebook post. “He has put in the work to switch his role up and come to the patrol side full time! Let’s give him a warm congrats Uxy!”
Uxbridge Police Department (Herald file photo)
Massachusetts fire officials are warning bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices pose a serious fire risk and are illegal to use without professional licensing, following a deadly New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland that killed 40 people.
State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine sent a notice Tuesday to businesses across the state reminding them that sparklers — including so-called “cold spark” pyrotechnics often marketed for celebrations — are prohibited unless businesses have the required licensing, certification, and permits, according to a statement from Davine’s office.
“This includes small sparklers that have been sold as novelties or party favors to accompany champagne bottles, which are believed to have caused the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 40 lives,” Davine said in the statement.
The warning comes after investigators said sparklers likely contributed to a New Year’s Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, that injured more than 100 people in addition to the dozens killed.
Advertisement
The notice was distributed to local licensing authorities by the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and shared with restaurant owners statewide by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, Davine said.
Separately, the state Department of Fire Services issued a notice to a Florida-based company, King of Sparklers LLC, after sparklers it allegedly sold online were recovered by Fall River fire inspectors at a local establishment, the fire marshal’s office said. Officials said shipping such products into the state violates state law and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Code.
Fire officials said sparklers burn at temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and throw off sparks capable of igniting decorations, furnishings, and other flammable materials. Even after they appear extinguished, sparklers can remain hot enough to start fires, officials said.
Davine pointed to a 2022 incident in Dracut, where the improper disposal of illegal sparklers sparked a three-alarm fire that displaced nine residents.
Sparklers are classified as fireworks under state law, meaning their possession, sale, and use require professional licensing and certification, the Department of Fire Services said.
Advertisement
Davine said the tragedy in Switzerland echoed memories of the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., which killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others. The fire prompted sweeping safety reforms in Rhode Island as well as Massachusetts.
The Rhode Island fire was sparked during a concert when a band’s pyrotechnics ignited the sound-proofing foam near the stage, and the flames licked their way up the wall. It took a moment for the crowd to realize what was happening, but within 90 seconds after the fire ignited people stampeded toward the front entrance and were crushed, the Globe reported.
“The tragic fire in Switzerland has a chilling similarity to the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which led to numerous safety reforms in Massachusetts bars and clubs,” Davine said in the statement Tuesday. “We just want to help these businesses keep their patrons and staff safe.”
Rhode Island State Fire Marshal Tim McLaughlin also recalled the Station nightclub fire in the wake of the Swiss blaze.
“It’s almost eerie to think about it — the similarities between the two,” McLaughlin told WPRI-TV this week. “It was something I never thought I’d see again.”
Advertisement
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
Seatbelt usage in Massachusetts increased in 2025 for the third consecutive year, “marking the state’s highest seat belt usage rate on record,” officials said in a release this week.
The annual Massachusetts Safety Belt Observational Study found belt usage rate of 85.53 percent among the state’s drivers last year, up from 84.36 percent in 2024 and 80 percent in 2023, according to the Healey-Driscoll administration.
The increase in seatbelt usage last year corresponded with a lower rate of fatal crashes, with 342 reported in the state in 2025 compared to 364 in 2024, said a statement from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security on Monday.
“We know that seat belts save lives, and it’s so important that seat belt usage continues to increase every year in Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, in the statement. “We’re grateful for the hard work of our partners in transportation, public safety and local governments to enhance safety on the roads for us all.”
Advertisement
The governor’s words were echoed in the statement by her number two, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
“Whether you’re a driver or passenger, one of the most important things you can do to protect your safety is to buckle your seat belt,” Driscoll said. “This study shows that we’ve made progress in increasing the safety of road users.”
The annual study is required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the statement, which said seat belt usage in Massachusetts has increased by more than 10 percent since 2015.
“Everyone has a role to play in keeping our roads safe, and wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest steps we can take to protect ourselves and the people we care about,” said Gina K. Kwon, the state’s public safety and security boss, in the release.
“When drivers and passengers buckle up every time, they help prevent serious injuries and make travel safer for families and communities across the Commonwealth,” Kwon said.
Advertisement
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
