09/16/2026
Meet A Georgia Christmas Tree Farm
CHAPTER 1
Raulston Acre Christmas Tree Farm
Located in Rock Spring, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Raulston Acres Christmas Tree Farm has a story rooted in family, farming and a desire to create lasting Christmas memories.
Long before families came to Raulston Acres searching for the perfect Christmas tree, the land was home to a small beef cattle farm.
For nearly ten years, Dan Raulston and his wife raised cattle there. Then, in 2007, a new idea began to take root: What if their farm could become a place where families came not only to find a Christmas tree, but to make Christmas memories?
In 2008, they planted their first Christmas trees, beginning a new chapter for the family farm and what would eventually become Raulston Acres Christmas Tree Farm.
Today, Dan and his wife still lead the farm, but Raulston Acres has grown into much more than a two-person operation. Several young people help throughout the year, and during the busy Christmas season, the team can grow to as many as 23 people—all working together to give visiting families a memorable experience.
The farm grows Murray Cypress, Virginia Pine, Carolina Sapphire, Blue Ice and Green Giant. But at Raulston Acres, growing Christmas trees is only part of the story.
When families arrive at Raulston Acres, they’re welcomed by a friendly team ready to make finding the perfect Christmas tree part of the experience. Families can select from freshly cut trees or venture into the fields to choose and cut one of their own. Once a tree is selected, the farm team helps with the rest—bringing it back from the field, preparing it for the ride home and making the process as easy as possible so families can spend more time simply enjoying their visit.
Families can also visit the wreath shop for a fresh Christmas wreath, browse the gift shop for ornaments and tree accessories, or stop by the concession stand for hot chocolate, popcorn, kettle corn and other Christmas treats.
Dan describes the goal simply: to create the feeling of stepping into a Hallmark Christmas movie—a place where families can slow down, enjoy one another and experience a little of the magic of the season.
One of the farm’s most meaningful traditions, however, happens before the first customer arrives.
On opening day, the Raulston family and their team gather together to pray over the farm and give thanks for another season and another opportunity to serve the families who will walk through their gates.
It’s a tradition that reflects something customers may not always see.
Years of work go into every Christmas tree. Long before a tree is decorated with lights and ornaments, there have been countless hours of planting, mowing, trimming, shaping and caring for it. There is an investment of time, labor and resources behind every tree in the field.
Yet sometimes the perfect tree isn’t the one the farmer expects.
Dan remembers a customer choosing a tree he had planned to cut for wreath greenery or discard. It wasn’t what he considered a picture-perfect Christmas tree.
But to that family, it was perfect.
They bought it—at a pretty good discount—and took it home for Christmas.
That simple story captures something special about Christmas tree farming. The perfect tree doesn’t have to be the biggest, straightest or fullest tree in the field. It’s the tree a family chooses to become part of their Christmas.
Supporting Raulston Acres also means supporting a local family farm and the surrounding community. It provides young people with opportunities to learn about responsibility, hard work, customer service and what it takes to operate a small business.
But for Dan and his family, there is an even greater reward.
Every tree that leaves Raulston Acres is headed somewhere special. Soon it will be standing in someone’s home, covered in lights and ornaments, surrounded by presents and serving as the backdrop for family photographs, Christmas mornings and memories that may be treasured for generations.
From an idea in 2007 and the first trees planted in 2008, Raulston Acres has grown into a place where families can experience much more than simply buying a Christmas tree.
Because at Raulston Acres, the tree may be what brings families to the farm—but the memories are what they hope families take home
Check them out at Raulston Acres Christmas Tree Farm
