Where Wishes Grow on Trees
Hillview Christmas Trees, just 30 minutes out of Tamworth, is a place where all your Christmas (tree) wishes come true. The trees are still growing and won’t be ready until next year, but that just gives you plenty of time to plan your perfect 2024 Christmas.
Talking to Kim Sizer about Christmas trees is like talking to a kid about what they’re getting for Christmas – she’s energetic, she’s passionate and she’s downright excited. Here, Kim tells us a little about where it all started.
“Moving from England 20 years ago, mum was adamant that you can’t celebrate Christmas without a real Christmas tree. She was determined to continue the tradition in Australia, so she began searching for the perfect tree.”
Coming back with an overpriced twig rather than the lush, fluffy tree she had hoped for, Kim’s mum was understandably disappointed. At that moment, Kim’s dad had a brainwave – and so began the 20-year journey of what was then known as North Coast Christmas Trees.
Fast forward a few years and Kim has a family of her own – her husband Rob and their two beautiful children. “We lived near Gunnedah and have a metalwork business called Custom Cutting Studio which is absolutely thriving. We needed a new home base that could also house our business, so we started looking at properties. At the time, my mum was sick with cancer, so we were doing more with the Christmas trees because we wanted to spend time with her. It was beautiful.”
Sadly, Kim’s mum passed away. Shortly afterward, Kim and Rob found a property in Dungowan, just outside of Tamworth. Looking toward retirement, Kim’s dad sold the property in Coffs Harbour and moved to Tamworth to be closer to them.
“We got our farm in September 2021 and thought we’d try planting Christmas trees. We planted our first crop of 5000 trees that month, then in June 2022 we planted another 10,000 trees. This year, we’ve planted 13,000 more trees – they’ll be ready just in time for Christmas next year.”
So, why should you buy a real Christmas tree from Hillview?
Well, for starters, nothing can beat the smell of fresh pine. “Once you have that pine tree smell in your house, it's just amazing. I love it so much,” says Kim. “A lot of people think real trees drop all their pine needles, but this variety holds them really well. While you’ll still end up with some on your floor, you won’t be sweeping up a whole tree’s worth.”
“They're also all freshly cut trees,” Kim adds “So they’ll survive about three to four weeks as long as they’re kept in water. You keep them exactly the same as you would fresh cut flowers.”
When’s the best time to buy a Christmas tree you ask?
“Normally around the ninth of December, and the tree will last beautifully through to Christmas. After that, it will start wilting, just like flowers.”
Christmas spirit
Thinking outside the box, Kim and Rob have come up with a solution to get the community involved and give back – in true Christmas spirit. “We’re struggling to get staff members, so we're working on ways we can reduce how many people we need on our farm," says Kim.
“Instead of people coming out to the farm to choose and pick up a tree, they would buy it on our website and choose a collection point. Say you choose to pick it up on Friday 12 December between 4pm and 6pm – that's where the community groups jump on board. We’ll have all the orders, cut the trees, and then deliver them to a community group, along with a spreadsheet of who's ordered what. Then, they hand out all the trees and in return, we’ll give them a donation.”
To find out more about Hillview Christmas Trees, head to their website or their Instagram. Remember, the trees are still growing and won’t be ready until Christmas 2024, but you can find out everything you need to know now.
