Plut's Christmas Tree Farm

On the other end of the spectrum is Plut's Christmas Tree Farm in Long Valley.
At first, you're driving down a typical suburban street and pull into a long driveway.
Suddenly, a Christmas carnival springs up behind the family home.
Thousands of trees, guys with saws, wrapping machines, families, dogs and even a trailer selling hot cider, corn dogs, and homemade funnel cakes.
Karolina "Mamma" Plut has run the place for more than 30 years.
And she runs it like the local mom-and-pop store.
"All my neighborhood friends are back," Plut said. "We have about a dozen high-school kids working again this year."
There's a wide selection of trees, of course.
"So many people love Fraser Fir, we grow our own," Plut said. "It's very attractive to deer, but we still try. We even have Serbian spruce. Not many people grow them, nobody else that I know."
Plut and her helpers keep busy creating all sorts of crafts out of loose branches and ribbons -- wreaths, grave blankets, door charms, centerpieces and her favorite mailbox huggies.
"They fit along the top of your mailbox," Plut said. "And it has a flexible metal wire inside to hold it on tight."
After three decades, with the property placed in preservation for the future, Plut's should remain a great place to make a family day out of tree shopping for years to come.
By the way, if you find a bird's nest in your tree, it is said to promise a year of household harmony.