Walking into a winter wonderland is exactly how we felt when we visited The Village at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm for the first time. It was a truly magical place, from the life-size gingerbread house and the miniature Village decked out like a Hallmark movie to a hayride with lights all around. There’s so much packed into their Village that we spent hours here, visiting Santa’s house, the post office, a life-sized igloo, and did I mention you pick out your tree too? Read on for our trip to the farm, which felt like we entered into a real-life Hallmark movie (minus the snow). (featured photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm)
As we walked on the trail, everywhere we turned was lit with beautiful, sparkling lights. Photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
Take in the thousands of lights
There are over 30,000 Christmas lights on the property— everything from the trees and decorations to the walking path gets a glow-up as soon as November starts. Many of the lights in the trees move, even ones that look like falling snowflakes. As we walked through the Village, my daughter stopped at different spots, allowing me to take lots of photos in front of the lights. Everywhere we turned was a pretty picture moment, and so beautiful.
The charming Train Room is a place to stop and stay awhile, soaking up all the charming details. Photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
Get on board at the Train Room
The Village has charming buildings like a life-sized gingerbread house, an igloo, and Santa’s house. But one of our favorite stops was the Train Room. In this building, a miniature village is set up, resembling a small town you see in a Hallmark movie. Every detail was included, from different shops and places to people and snow, and we enjoyed looking over the scenes and finding small parts, like a horse-drawn carriage and people skating in each snowy vignette. We followed along, pointing out every adorable spot as we watched the train race through the tracks.
Watch your letter to Santa be sent to the North Pole. Photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
Write to Santa at the North Pole Postal Company
The next stop was the North Pole Postal Company, where there were pieces of paper and pencils so kids could write their letters to Santa (and the adults could, too!) Inside the Postal Company is an old-school postal sorting wall with spots for mail, set up to look exactly like a Post Office. The best part? My daughter finished her letter, put it in the mailbox, pressed the button, and watched the letter fly to the North Pole on the large television on the wall—it was a total wow moment, and the kids around us were all in awe of the display. Although we didn’t get a visit with the big guy, we did see him from afar, and families were gathered round while kids sat next to him on his couch for a memorable photo.
Take your shot at the Christmas Shooting Range. Photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
Play around with light-up games
Once we left the post office, we headed to the bridge over the glowing river, where we passed one of the newest attractions, Santa’s Coal Mine, a walk-through experience where Santa’s elves are hard at work. As you enter, you’ll hear the sounds of the workers mining the coal that fuels Santa’s sleigh and see etchings on the wall drawn by some of the most notable elves in Santa’s crew. After leaving that area, step up to the Christmas Shooting Range and watch your “bullets” turn the targets into beautiful colors. Each kid receives a gel blaster and goggles before standing at the ready and taking turns shooting gel bullets at the targets—the color changes when they hit the mark, making such a fun design. My daughter loved emptying her gel blaster and watching the targets get lit up in vivid and bright hues.
Learn how to make syrup at the Sugar Shack. Photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
Stop for a sweet surprise
We walked past the hot cocoa area and then saw another new addition to the village—The Candy Cane Factory. This walk-through display features Santa’s elves busy at work making candy canes for Santa to gift to the kids when they visit him. After, we came upon The Maple Shack, where we were able to learn about the process of making the delicious syrup. We enjoyed listening to how they make syrup, from finding suitable trees for tapping to boiling the sap to make the syrup. As we made our way back, we saw all the gorgeous trees of different varieties lined up at the farm, ready to be taken home and decorated. Although we already had our tree, we took note for the next year—besides the pre-cut trees, you can also cut down your own with a hand saw that they have at the stand.
What to know before you go
The Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm Village is open until December 30, Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 PM to 10 PM. It is recommended to dress in layers because everything is outside and there are no heaters in The Village. Tickets are $22 for 13+, $12 for children aged 3 to 12, and free for those 2 and under and should be purchased ahead of time online for a time slot. There is also food in the Village, just know that it’s cash-only (an ATM is on site if you forget). In the event of bad weather, The Village can close, so make sure to check ahead on social media. And don’t miss an opportunity to visit the tree farm to find the perfect Christmas tree; the farm is open 9 AM-8 PM from Monday-Sunday through January 1. You do not need a reservation to visit the tree farm or the shops.
Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
114 Daum Rd, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726
(732) 786-9277
Learn more about the Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm Village on their website, Facebook or Instagram.
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