After donating so many Christmas trees to local nonprofits and schools each holiday season, it’s a wonder that Patchen California Christmas Tree Farm has any left to sell to the general public. The list of organizations PATCHEN donates to is almost as long as Santa’s naughty and nice list. It includes churches, schools, hospice centers, job training facilities, community centers, and the list of not-for-profits goes on and on.
PATCHEN also hosts field trips by area schools. Since the late 1990’s, in partnership with one or more local Real Estate firms, PATCHEN has hosted thousands of kids from various local elementary schools. “I have lost track of how many thousands of trees we have donated to schools over the years. The schools help us by distributing them to low-income families”, says Jim Beck, owner and founder of PATCHEN.
“At one of our school events a little boy grabbed my leg,” said Beck, “He asked if he could come to live with me and I told him I would love to have him, but that his parents would be very sad. I learned later that the boy’s mother was in jail and his father was nowhere to be found. Once again, that renewed my commitment to use this farm to help as many kids as we can.”
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There are countless thousands of trees growing on the two PATCHEN Choose & Cut farms – not only the perfect place to find the ideal tree, but also a great location to spend an afternoon.
“We don’t just offer Christmas trees here. You can get those at Home Depot. We offer an experience and a great family get-away,” said Beck. “Here you can walk around in the forest and breathe the clean mountain air. Families bring picnics or a bottle of wine, and hang out while the kids skip rocks in the pond.”
That is exactly why families return each year to this hidden little gem that has been in operation in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 1969. The other reason is that folks really appreciate Beck’s generosity and concern for our young people. “Honestly, it’s quite flattering when people say to me that the reason they’re here is because they heard about all the things we do for the community. I never mention it to anyone – they tell me about it,” said a smiling Beck.
The two PATCHEN tree farms are located on Old Santa Cruz Highway and Old Summit Road, between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, just a quick, scenic drive from either side of the Mountains. Both farms are open from the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving, through Christmas Eve.
Contact:
Jim Beck, Owner ( Jim@PatchenCalifornia.com )
PATCHEN California
22217 Old Santa Cruz Hwy
Los Gatos, CA 95033
www.PatchenCalifornia.com