Diefenbach Christmas tree farm business celebrates 30th anniversary

The Diefenbach Christmas Tree Farm, located on Gemutlichkeit Acres in rural Anna, marked 30 years of select-and-cut tree business this December.

The Diefenbachs planted the first crop of pine seedlings in 1973 and sold the first Christmas trees in 1980.

The Christmas tree farm, in the beginning, offered tag-your-tree days each year during the weekend following Thanksgiving. Customers could tag a tree to be cut and picked up on a specified day in December.

A Christmas Tree Shop on the farm offered handcrafted ornaments and gifts, along with free tree-shaped cookies, coffee and apple cider.

In 2000, after 20 years, the tagging process and the shop were no longer offered. During the past 10 years, the tree farm has operated as a select-and-cut-by-appointment-only business.