If you're not into fake trees and want to fill your house with that seasonal scent of pine, you can find plenty of places in Monroe County where you can pick and cut down your own tree.

According to Ned Birkey, local farmer and Michigan State University educator emeritus, though fake trees may offer more conveniency, getting your own tree means more than just chopping one down. Farmers, he said, aren't just selling trees, but also wreaths, scented candles, woolen mittens, and other seasonal items.

"But I think people still like to get out on a farm," Birkey said. "It's an experience."

Caleb Matthes, owner of Matthes Tree Farm in Ida, agreed with that.

"You can go to the grocery store and get apples, you can go to the hardware store and get a tree, you can go to Walmart and get a pumpki

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