- January 7, 2025
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Since opening on Nov. 23, Sanchez Tree Farms has sold over 1,000 Christmas trees at their lot at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach.
The lot, run by Esteban and Mary Sanchez, features sells Fraser firs and white pines, grown in Ashe County in North Carolina. This is the second year of the couple operating the Christmas tree lot, as they took over for Robin and Michael Gentry, of Gardner Tree Farms, in 2023 after the Gentrys closed their business.
Esteban used to bring the Christmas trees for the Gentrys' lot; he worked for Gardner Tree Farm for 35 years. When the Gentrys closed their lot, the Sanchez family decided to keep it going.
"We took over the farm, we took over the lot," Esteban said.
It was the wish of the Gardner Tree Farm owner, he said.
"He said, 'You've been so long with me, I want you to take over,'" Esteban said. "So I did."
One of the benefits of getting a real tree for Christmas? The smell, Esteban said.
"You put a fake tree in your house, you don't smell nothing," he said. "People come and they buy wreaths ... just for the smell."
The weekend following Thanksgiving was a busy one for Sanchez Tree Farms. Esteban said people were picking out Christmas trees from "daylight to dark."
"By the time we leave from here, we don't really have much time to put a tree," Mary said.
Currently, the tree lot is on its last truckload. The Sanchez family will operate their lot until Dec. 20, or until trees run out. The lot is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
