Christmas tree farm revamps operations to help carry on traditions

Busy weekend at local Christmas tree farm From CTV Kitchener’s Jessica Smith: Jingle Bills in Puslinch says last minutes shoppers are still looking for the perfect Christmas tree.

PUSLINCH — The team at a Puslinch tree farm has been changing up how they help people carry out their holiday traditions.

Jingle Bills Tree Farm has had to make plenty of adjustments for the COVID-19 pandemic in just their second year of business.

"People leave their phone number and email address in the event something happens," said co-owner Bill Demers. "The appointments are spaced out every 30 minutes so it's not that much of a problem."

The farm was open on Nov. 28 for 11 straight days before Bill and co-owner Debbie Demers decided to stay open even longer just to see what would happen.

The steady business continued, much to surprise, with some families arriving just days before Christmas.

"We traditionally like to cut our own Christmas tree, and we've had a very busy getting ready period," said shopper Christina Rodgers. "So we left it until the time that we could schedule an appointment and come out and do it as a family."

The team at Jingle Bills says that, while the appointment system they introduced is for COVID-19 safety measures, it also helps them to get to know the customers and what they're searching for.

"We get to spend more time with those people, which is really great," said Debbie. "We get to talk with all the families."

Sunday marked the last day customers could to the farm via appointment, but plans are already in the works for next year's Christmas tree shopping experience.