No snow, sleds or Santa Claus are required:for John and Cathryn Gregory, it's always Christmastime.John, a former UF professor, and Cathryn, a former Spanish teacher, both 64, have been growing trees at the Unicorn Hill Christmas Tree Farm since 1981.Unicorn Hill, at 3605 N.W. 69th St., is the only Christmas tree farm in Gainesville.
The Gregorys bought the 14 acres in 1977 - a decision John said many people questioned because of the old car parts scattered around the land.
"A lot of people thought we were crazy," he said.
They started growing Christmas trees in 1981, after a UF graduate student working on his thesis suggested that hogs, blueberries or Christmas trees could make the land profitable.
When it was time to make a decision, the couple was sure about one thing.
"We didn't want to raise hogs," Cathryn said.They sold their first tree in 1984 and have been in business ever since, selling trees to families that come to chop them down.
The farm sells seven kinds of trees, including the Southern red cedar - what Cathryn calls the traditional Christmas tree of the South.
After 25 years of operation, John and Cathryn plant, prune and sell the trees on their own with some help on the weekends from their two daughters, ages 30 and 31.
Now retired, John was a professor with the UF College of Education for 35 years - his first and last job. He taught mathematics for educators and said he still does some consulting.Although the job was wonderful, he said the pressures from the university just melted away when he left work and arrived home at his farm.
"All my cares were gone," he said.
Both John and Cathryn said a love of the outdoors and agriculture is just part of their lives.John grew up on a dairy farm, he said, and Cathryn loved spending time at her grandfather's farm.
"This is what we love to do," he said.
Cathryn, who is now also retired, taught Spanish at Buchholz High School for 36 years. Now that she has time, she waters the six fields of Christmas trees by hand. The farm does not have an irrigation system and the rows of trees were previously watered only by the rain.
The farm is also home to wildlife, including deer, hawks and turkeys, John said.
"We can't figure out how many flocks of turkeys we have out here," he said. "We try to live in harmony with them."
Not so with the armadillos, he said, which dig deep holes underneath the trees.
"They have really become a nuisance," John said.
The holes must be filled before families arrive at the farm so children running through the rows don't get their feet caught and hurt themselves.
The farm sees returning families every year, the couple said, some who travel from as far as St. Augustine and Orlando to chop down trees or picnic on the farm.
The trees run about $4 to $5 a foot, with the average tree costing a bit less than $30.
The most expensive tree they've sold this year was $62.50. It was 12 feet tall.
Cathryn said the farm parts with 300 to 400 trees a year, though as many as 7,000 may be growing each year.
They replant about 2,000 each year.Last year was their biggest selling year, and they sold about 30 percent of the trees, she said. They are unsure how many will sell this year.
John said selling trees is only the beginning.
"I think we're selling an experience," he said.
Although the farm is a business, John said it's much more than a moneymaker - it's his life.
"It's everything," he said.
