HUNTINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- At Kalie's Tree Farm near Shickshinny, the day before Thanksgiving is not about prepping the turkeys, it is about prepping the trees.
"Finish up preparing the fields, the cards, the gift shop. Everything else that goes along with setting up and getting ready for Black Friday," said owner Andrew Kalie.
There will be a different kind of Black Friday madness at the Christmas tree farm in Luzerne County. Friday morning is opening day for the Christmas tree season, and the Kalie family is ready for the crowds.
"It's hard to believe that it's here already, you work and prepare all year long and the year just flies by, and here it is another year, I'm looking forward to it this year. And it's not as rainy this year, that's a good thing, that helps," Kalie said.
It has been 20 years since Kalie planted the first trees on the farm. He says you do not just pick out your Christmas tree when you come visit.
"We try to make it the whole Christmas experience. So we have places for people to take pictures out in the fields, we serve up hot chocolate after you've gotten your tree, and we're bailing it and getting it ready for you," Kalie's wife, Kate, explained.
The Kalies say their favorite part about the business is seeing the same families come back year after year who have made the tree farm part of their Christmas tradition.
"We prepare all year long, it's a lot of hard work out in the fields, so once a year we try to make it nice and enjoyable for everybody."
Kalie's Tree Farm opens this Friday at 8 a.m. and will be open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Christmas.