Thanksgiving ushers in the annual holiday season, but the day of communal gratitude quickly gives way to a hectic hustle and bustle as people prepare for Christmas. For half a century, Jack’s Creek Farm in Bostwick has eased the inevitable holiday stress by providing customers with a one-stop spot for holiday supplies and festivities.
This year, the family-operated business is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it’s busier than ever.
“We have sold 3,000 Christmas trees this season,” said Damon Malcom, one of the farm’s owners.
Currently the farm is in the midst of its annual Holiday rush, inviting the community to come and cut down their own Christmas trees and purchase unique Christmas décor while enjoying myriad yuletide festivities, including visits from Santa Claus, exploring Grandma’s Christmas Shoppe, embarking on the Tunnel of Lights Hayrides, and visiting a free petting zoo. The farm offers weekend concessions as well. Malcom and his co-owner and brother-in-law, Mark Batchelor, reflect on the farm’s legacy while planning to forge ahead into the future.
“This has been a family experience for 50 years,” said Malcom, whose cousin Ed Ruark founded the Farm in 1973. Malcom began working on the farm that year when he was just 12 years old. Batchelor, too, has been part of the Jack’s Creek Farm family since the late 1970s, giving Malcom and Batchelor a combined 60 years of nursery experience between them. Mark also graduated from the University of Georgia in 1987 with a B.S.A. in Ornamental Horticulture.
The pair took ownership of the farm in 1995, growing the beloved business while carrying on the farm’s signature holiday traditions.
“We have so many memories here and continue to make memories for our families and all who visit us,” said Batchelor.
The team at Jack’s Creek Farm work all year long to tenderly cultivate the massive nursery of trees situated on a 120-acre lot before the craze of the holiday season arrives. The farm offers a vast selection of Christmas Trees for patrons to purchase, including Leyland Cypress, Arizona Cypress, Red Cedars, and Green Giants. Their biggest seller is the Fraser Fir.
Malcom and Batchelor now plant thousands of trees yearly, including 50 different species, and have permanently protected 200-acres of land through conservation easements to ensure the land stays rural forever. Malcom and Batchelor say they are proud of the business they have built.
“For us, it’s all about creating a family experience. We are a family and we want the people to come here to feel like part of the family,” said Malcom.
Jack’s Creek Farm is open to the public on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Santa will return to Jack’s Creek Farm on Saturday, Dec. 2, Sunday, Dec. 3, Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10. Santa will be on the farm from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Families can take pictures with Santa for $10 per family.
Source: Morgan County Citizen
