Oh, Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches: Tree-Trimming Tips from The Rocks Estate

The Glessner House (Chicago) tree, from The Rocks.

Since the first Christmas trees were decorated in 16^th-Centrury northern Europe with fruits, candles and paper flowers, people have been coming up with new and creative ideas for trimming the tree. There are formal Christmas trees of delicate silver and gold ornaments, bright trees bursting with colorful baubles, and homey trees trimmed with homemade decorations and treasured family ornaments.

The most important part of decorating a Christmas tree is letting your own personality and holiday traditions shine through. In a tree-trimming rut? Well, here are some ideas from The Rocks Estate to spice things up a bit:

* String a wide ribbon with festive colors through your tree’s branches as a garland.

* If you normally use small, white tree lights, switch things up with colored bulbs. Christmas lights are even available in efficient LED varieties now, so check out your options and see what you like.

Family tree in Franconia, NH

* Pick a theme that suits your family’s style or that is reminiscent of the year just past. Love the beach? Trim your tree with shells and seashore colors. Excited for winter? Make paper snowflakes to adorn the tree. Nature lover? Figurines of birds and other animals make great tree decorations!

* Get creative and craft some new ornaments. Tissue paper flowers held by pipe cleaners are easy to make and add a pop of color to the tree.

* Bring a bit of nature inside by hanging pinecones or dried flowers on your tree.

* Spice it up with sticks of cinnamon wrapped with ribbon. Or hang candy canes from the boughs.

Of course, if you’re a traditionalist, you may cherish pulling out those old ornaments collected over a lifetime each holiday season. Some families purchase a new ornament each year to add to the collection.

If you’re looking for inspiration, or would like a special ornament to add to your tree trimming repertoire, be sure to stop by the Rocks Marketplace and our Farm Store when you visit The Rocks this season. Our shops are brimming with ornaments and other fantastic holiday decorations – plus plenty of good holiday cheer!

Happy holidays… we hope to see you soon at The Rocks!

NH viewers and readers agree: The Rocks is tops in Christmas trees!

We take a lot of pride at The Rocks Estate in providing a complete holiday experience. So it was great to see The Rocks land near the top of the WMUR-TV list of viewers’ favorite New Hampshire tree farms (in the third spot) and at the tippety top of the Union Leader Readers' Choice polling!

But we’re not resting on our laurels… This season we’re bringing back the time-tested festivities our customers love so much that many of them have been returning to The Rocks for countless years’ worth of Christmas trees and holiday cheer.

That means horse-drawn carriage rides through the historic Rocks Estate property, roasting marshmallows around the fire pit, and – of course – meandering through the fields at the farm in search of that perfect Christmas tree to cut and bring home.

We’ll also be visited by a more recent favorite to The Rocks: our own Green Father Christmas, who will give fir tree seedlings to children. And our two shops – The Rocks Marketplace and the Farm Store – are chockfull of fantastic gifts, fabulous decorations, and festive cheer for the holidays.

The Rocks Marketplace

If you’ve been to The Rocks before, we hope you agree with WMUR-TV viewers and the folks who read the Union Leader. And we hope to see you again soon! If you haven’t visited us at The Rocks Estate, we invite you to come by this holiday season and see what all the fuss is about.

Our two shops are open daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Our cut-your-own Christmas tree season (and retail tree sales) begins Nov. 22. The holiday cheer, of course, is served up all day, every day!                    

Holiday Shopping FUN at The Rocks – Shops Open Daily starting November 3!

The Rocks is THE place to visit for holiday shopping. Our two shops are a feast for the Christmas senses, with unique gift items, one-of-a-kind decorations, and plenty of tasty treats. (S’mores on a stick, anyone? Mmmmm!)

We get really excited about the holidays here, and we strive to fill our Rocks Marketplace and Farm Store shops with a festive combination of customer favorites and beautiful new items each year. We’re also dedicated to providing as many U.S.A.-made items in our shops, and lots of our great gift and holiday items are made right here in New England and the Northeast.

Our intricately whimsical Ginger Cottages are handcrafted in Virginia, and they’re simply radiating with holiday charm. From the snowflake-adorned Elf Academy and Hansel & Gretel’s Ginger Mint Company to the fantastic Cuckoo Clock featuring Santa’s sleigh, peppermints, and gingerbread people, each of these artful creations may be lit with a Christmas tree light to reveal the holiday secret inside!

The Rocks Marketplace also features jingle bells from New Hampshire-based New England Bells; hundreds of unique Christmas tree ornaments; handmade chocolate goodies (s’mores on a stick, bear and moose pops, and more) from RHD Candy just up the road in Lancaster, N.H.; books penned by local authors; handcrafted soaps from Wild Oak Farm in Landaff, N.H.;  Advent calendars from an artist in Maine featuring classic New England scenes; pottery from Sugar Hill; jewelry from Rhode Island… the list goes on and on.

And did we mention moose? Well, the Marketplace is swimming with New Hampshire’s favorite animal! We have moose magnets, moose candies, moose glasses, plush moose toys, moose bottle toppers. If you’re looking for moose, we can help!

In our Farm Store, we have locally-made maple syrup, available in traditional jugs or designer bottles, along with sweatshirts and Ts, more ornaments, and holiday decorations galore!

We really do get excited about the holidays here at The Rocks. Because we’re so eager to share our enthusiasm with holiday shoppers, we’ll open both shops Nov. 3, and they’ll be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. DAILY through Christmas Eve (closed Thanksgiving Day). So, whether you want to get an early start to your holiday preparations or you’re a last-minute shopper, we’ll be here and ready to help!

Let the Holidays begin!

The Rocks Estate opens for the Christmas tree season November 19^th. We’ll be open daily (except for Thanksgiving Day) through Christmas Eve, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Visitors may meander the farm in search of the perfect Christmas tree to cut or select a pre-cut tree from our retail lot. And if you visited The Rocks earlier this fall to tag a tree, you’re welcome to return now to cut your Christmas tree and bring it home for trimming.

While you’re here, we invite you to enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride, browse the selection of wonderful gifts and holiday decorations in our shop, and enjoy a cup of cocoa, roasted marshmallows at our marshmallow pit, and freshly popped corn from Kingdom Kernels Kettlecorn Company. Our wreath makers have been hard at work creating and decorating our fresh evergreen wreaths, and we also offer kissing balls and garland for decking the halls in style!

As always, our Christmas trees, holiday wreaths, gifts and ornaments are available at The Rocks and through our online shop. We have everything you need to Deck the Halls this holiday season!

Stay awhile with our Christmas Memory Package

Take a break from all the hustle and bustle of the holidays with our Christmas Memory Package. With a stay at one of the area’s quaint inns or comfortable hotels, a horse-drawn wagon ride through the historic Rocks Estate property, http://therocks.org/history.php and a beautiful farm fresh Christmas tree to bring home, the Christmas Memory Package is a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit, whether you’re looking for a family celebration or an intimate mountain getaway.

Learn More With Our Mobile Tour

New this season is The Rocks Mobile Tour – combining cutting edge technology with holiday tradition! Our tour uses Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) to relay information about the fascinating history of The Rocks, wildlife habitat and forest management efforts at the property (which serves as the North Country Conservation and Education Center for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests), and the different types of Christmas trees we grow here.

Simply use your smart phone to snap a photo of the mobile tag at each of the 13 stops along the tour, and you’ll have access to historic photographs and staff knowledge right at your fingertips!

To find out more about what’s happening at The Rocks NOW, check out our YouTube videos and "like" us on Facebook.