Remembering Christmases Past at George’s Christmas Tree Farm

Many Northern California residents were brokenhearted this year when they opened Jody Johnson’s cards in the mail. The cards were letting them know that her family’s farm, George’s Christmas Tree Farm in Paynes Creek, would not be open for this Christmas season. Jody wanted to give families ample time to get used to the change — not easy for some who have kept up the tree-cutting tradition there for decades.

Bundling up children, throwing ropes and sleds into the car, packing comfort foods and heading to George’s Christmas Tree Farm have been holiday norms for local families for more than 50 years. The farm, officially known as the Rainbow Ranch, has been in Jody’s family since 1964. That year, her uncle, Fred Beresford, and her father, George Perkins, bought 139 acres of raw land together. The two worked tirelessly to prepare the 3,700-foot elevation parcel for growing white fir, silver tip and Douglas fir; work that could qualify as a sort of Christmas miracle in itself, as those trees usually don’t grow at such a low elevation.

The Roger, Wolter and Muir children at the tree farm

The Beresford family’s long history in the community

Taking business risks runs in Jody’s family. The Beresfords helped develop the town of Mineral, ran the Mineral Lodge, the post office and the first library. Her grandfather, Husky Bereford, installed a rope tow west of Mineral Lodge, making the area a hub for winter sports. Skis were available for rent in the lodge and George Perkins also operated ski rental businesses in Tahoe. Fred Beresford shared the fresh mountain scent with others by operating “Fred’s Choose and Cut” Christmas Tree Farms from Redding south to Yuba City.

Working around her college years, and later with her occupation as an adaptive PE teacher for the Tehama County Department of Education, Jody was up at the tree farm as often as possible. As a child it was great fun to pick apples there and draw water from the well with a bucket. Jody recalls the joyous atmosphere at the farm. “No one is in a bad mood when they are picking and cutting their Christmas tree,” she says. “It was a joy to watch young children come year after year until they were old enough to cut their own tree.”

George Perkin’s daughter, Jody Johnson, and grandsons, Sevee and Jordan Johnson, treasure one of their last mountain memories with George.

Jody’s father passed away in 2020 and she is still missing their day-after-Thanksgiving tradition. “Dad would come for Thanksgiving and then the next morning I would make him coffee and pack his lunch for opening day at the Christmas Tree Farm. He would always request a turkey sandwich and a piece of pumpkin pie. The traditions surrounding George’s Christmas Tree Farm could never be the same without Dad. Dad loved to invite up school groups to teach the children how to identify and grow evergreen trees. He also always gave away free trees to veterans.”

This year Jody is encouraging loyal customers to keep ushering in the wonder of the season by making Christmas tree cutting memories with their families. She urges people to get their Forest Service tree permits early and still make the trip to the Mineral area for tree cutting and sledding. Tree-cutting permits for the Lassen National Forest can be purchased at Collier Hardware in Chico. If you can’t make it to the mountains, Peterson Sisters will be selling heavily scented, fresh-cut trees at their Winter Wonderland while supplies last. If a living Christmas tree sounds like a fun family project you can purchase one at Wyntour Gardens in Redding.

For more information about the Beresford Family, look on Amazon for the book, Population 85, written by Jody’s mother, Joanne Perkins.

Memories from Christmases past at George’s Christmas Tree Farm

We asked three locals to share from their Christmases past at George’s Christmas Tree Farm

Sheila Jacobs: “We took the dogs, kids and grandkids to George’s every year to cut a tree. We always brought fresh baked brownies, hot cocoa and yummy sandwiches. And of course, we brought doggie treats for our fur babies. Our dog Kobe would start shaking when we would turn off of Hwy 36. When our son Michael was a little guy, my husband told him it was time for him to start helping him carry the tree out. He was exhausted by the time we got to the truck. When they closed, it broke our hearts. A family tradition was shattered. We went out and bought our first fake tree. Just a few days ago, we were saying how we wished we knew the owners to see if we could just drive up and walk around with the dogs, then enjoy a lunch on our tailgate. We will always cherish the fond memories that our family made at George’s.”

Niki Wolter: “We loved the candy canes and hot cocoa, and the different types of trees. We always picked a full one. It was cheaper then buying one in the lot and stayed healthy longer. We went there every year for so many years. Our memories bless us more than I realized until reliving them right now. Funny how we can unknowingly take them for granted.”

Amy Clement: “We took our first trip to George’s Christmas Tree Farm pre-kids. The next year we had our first son with us. The second year we had our second-born and then, the third year, our third born! One son, Steele, has his birthday in December and we would allow him to pick out a birthday tree to take home with our family’s Christmas tree. We will always cherish our memories at the farm when our boys were young.”