Video: Lowndes County Family Continues Tradition At Local Christmas Tree Farm

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s that time of the year again, to hang the lights and find the perfect Christmas tree.
One local Christmas tree farm has already seen a steady flow of customers chopping down their trees this holiday season. It all began 29 years ago for the Fitzgerald family.

The family visits Swedenburg’s Christmas Tree Farm every year to pick out their tree.

“It’s just a family tradition, every year right after Thanksgiving when they first open, we show up to find our tree,” the the mother, Abby Fitzgerald.

The family of four has made this annual trip since before their oldest daughter, who is now 27 years old, was born.

Ninna Knight says coming back home to visit the tree farm is something she always looks forward to.

“It’s all I’ve ever known and you literally grow up with a sense of community and they’re family,” said Knight.

For the family, there are some key points to remember as they search the tree farm for their pick.

“That will fit in our house, height and of course how wide it is to make it fit, just whatever we like that we find and we can all agree on,” said Fitzgerald.

Knight says that choosing your own fresh-cut tree from the farm has many benefits.

“I know when we come out here that my parents are going to have a tree on their house until well after Christmas if they wanted it to be. It’s fresh, when we got here this morning we were greeted with a hug, ‘how are you doing, how’s everything going, how’s family, how are yall,”‘ said Knight.

Shopping local is another reason the family returns to the farm year after year.

“That’s something that a lot of people don’t realize, is that this is a small business, it’s family run, it’s small but they become part of your family,” said Knight.

The Fitzgerald family says as long as Swedenburg’s is in business, they will continue their family tradition.

Swedenburg’s sold their first Christmas tree in 1978.

Their business hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 4:30 pm and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.