VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — The owners at Swan Farm were up at 6 a.m. prepping their Christmas tree farm for the early birds like the Rodriguez family.  

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland family continues eight-year tradition of chopping down Christmas tree

  • Mother Nature can wreak havoc on tree supply

  • Family run Christmas tree in business for more than 45 years

The Rodriguez family gets to the farm early so they can pick out their perfect Christmas tree.

The gates open at 9 a.m. but they pulled into the parking lot by 8 a.m.

 “It’s my job to make mom happy, and she wants a Canaan fir, so we get here at 8 a.m.,” Ricardo Rodriguez said.

Clairissa Rodriguez has been bringing her sons Rush, 8, and Rowdy, 6, since they were born. She loves that she can come here and make memories with her boys.

They were looking for just the right tree, the morning after Thanksgiving, not too prickly.

Co-owners and brothers Dan and Noah Wingenfeld do their part to best take care of the trees, but Mother Nature has a say in how many trees are available each year. This year they had about 150 trees as well as pre-cut trees available.

“It’s tough to grow so many between deer, disease…different problems like that," Dan Wingenfeld said. "We didn’t have rain for a full month, so it was a little dry for us."

 Swan Farm is located in Valley View just south of Cleveland and was founded by their father in 1975. It’s now run by the two brothers and their sister Meghan.

 “My dad used to say we’re selling experiences, not really Christmas trees,” co-owner Noah Wingelfeld said.

The Rodriguez family spent the day after Thanksgiving trimming their tree.

“It’s not necessarily about getting the biggest and the best," Clairissa said. "These days things are complicated and having these memories with my children…that means more than anything."