Hundreds chop down their own Christmas tree at Richardson Farm in Spring Grove despite shortage

SPRING GROVE, Ill. (WLS) -- For many, it is a family tradition to find the perfect Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving.

Hundreds of people checked it off their list on Saturday at the Richardson Christmas Tree Farm in the far north suburb of Spring Grove.

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With over 130 acres of trees to choose from, it's a full family day of fun with tree chopping and hot chocolate.

"We did it with our family. We actually haven't done it in a couple years," said Geralyn Graham. "It was fun, although it's cold, it's very fun to come out with family and cut the tree down."

"Everyone jumps on a wagon and heads out. So you can take, literally, as much or as little time as you want to out there marching around picking out the perfect Christmas tree," said farm owner Ryan Richardson.

The Richardson family has stretched this tradition across six generations, giving families a chance to make a special day out of it.

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"It's really cool since the tree business has been around for about 30 years or so. A lot of our patrons, our customers, they're actually becoming multi generational. They're bringing out now grandma brought them now now they have kids and grandkids," said Richardson.

And for some, there's a secret to finding the perfect tree.

"It has to smell great. It has to not lose a lot of needles when you touch it," said Beth Guzik.

The farm usually sells six to seven thousand trees per year.

Families had to pounce on these trees at the right time this year because there is a shorter supply than usual.

"We've had a couple of really hard growth years not a lot of rain, but hot and dry. And so during those years, we're not seeing our normal 12 inches of growth per year on a Christmas tree," said Richardson.

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And because there are not enough trees available to stay open through Christmas Eve, the farm will only stay open through December 5.