By Melanie Kallas Ricklefs
I step out of the car at the Cetak Family Christmas Tree Farm and am enveloped by the serenity that always accompanies me in the forest. The Cetak family owns over 40 acres of forestland and their 4-acre tree farm sits in the middle of the property along with their farm house. As I walk through the tree farm, beautifully tended trees surround me, each one waiting to become part of the family for the holidays.
The Cetak family began planting their Christmas trees in 2004. Now the trees range in size from 10 feet tall to newly planted seedlings. This is the second season that they have been open to the public for the U-cut family experience. Most of their customers last year were families that Jolene Cetak knows from Griffin School, where she has worked for the past 18 years. She enjoys seeing current and previous students come to build family traditions on their farm, and would love to provide the same experience for your family this year.
The Cetak family sells Noble and Douglas fir trees at reasonable prices to make this holiday tradition accessible to every family. In fact, no tree costs more than $40, including their Noble firs – that’s a bargain! They specialize in Noble and Douglas fir because they are the two most popular species of Christmas tree in the Northwest. Noble fir is known for its stout, evenly-spaced branches, which make it the perfect tree for decorating. The aromatic scent and blue-green hue make Noble fir the Christmas tree of choice for my family. Douglas fir has a classic Christmas tree shape of full branches, soft needles, and a fresh scent that will last through the holidays. When asked which tree the Cetak family chooses each year, they all answered at once “Noble fir” because its branches can hold their heavy ornaments.
The farm is locally owned and operated by Charlie Cetak, his wife Jolene, and their family. Charlie spends his summers captaining a salmon fishing boat in the Bering Sea. He hasn’t captained a ship in the winter months in many years, so he decided to find a new way to occupy his time. The Christmas tree farm was a perfect fit for him as he likes to keep busy and loves to be outdoors.
There is always something to be done around the farm. Charlie plants new seedlings every March to keep a steady inventory of trees because it takes eight years for a Noble fir to grow big enough to become a Christmas tree.
The family spends much of their time walking through their trees, and they know each one well. Try as they may to keep every tree safe and healthy, some trees just don’t want to conform to Christmas tree perfection. These trees will still fulfill their Christmas destiny by providing boughs for local wreath makers and fundraisers, such as the Griffin ASB wreath sale. The trees that become too large to be chosen as Christmas trees will provide boughs for future fundraisers.
The Christmas tree farm is truly a family business and they love to see other families enjoying their time together on the farm. Charlie and Jolene manage the day to day business, while their daughter Kali and her husband Ryan, help out with social media and maintain their website. Their youngest daughter, Kristi, comes home from college to help at the farm on winter break.
Even LuLu, the family boxer, gets in on the action. LuLu may be the first to greet you as you drive up to the farm, so please drive slowly. You may also get to meet Buster, the family’s toy box terrier, if he isn’t staying warm and dry inside the farm house. The Cetaks love their pets and consider them part of the family. They know that many people feel the same way, and welcome you to bring your friendly family dog along for this special holiday tradition.
In addition to their U-cut business, they are happy to provide wholesale trees for western Washington vendors, and because of their reasonable prices, they are the perfect Christmas tree farm to help out with fundraisers.
Give Charlie a call at (360) 791-8749, or e-mail him at Charlie@cetakchristmastree.com to talk about their wholesale pricing, pick-up times, or delivery options.
The Cetak Family Christmas Tree Farm is located at 6648 41st Avenue NW off of Steamboat Island Road. The tree farm is located ½ mile off of the main road and the parking area is clearly designated.
They will open their U-cut lot on weekends between November 29 and December 21. They are open Friday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to dusk.
Get more details by visiting the Cetak Family Christmas Tree Farm on their website or following the tree farm on Facebook.
