Today, we’re kicking off our fun old-fashioned family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select the most important of Christmas symbols: the Christmas tree!

Whether you live in Georgia, the Carolinas, or Tennessee, there is something special about heading up into the mountains where the trees climb the hillsides like rows of marching soldiers. The perfect place for this kind of experience is in Waynesville, N.C., at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm.

This place has been continuously operated within the Boyd family for over a hundred years. Over the years, they raised cattle, tobacco, corn, and potatoes, but today they grow the Cadillac of Christmas trees: the Fraser Fir.

The tree was named for John Fraser, a Scottish botanist who explored the region in the late 1700s. Today, over 50 million Fraser firs are grown in North Carolina on over 25,000 acres, making this truly the Christmas tree capital of America.

At Boyd Mountain – like many choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms – your day is about so much more than the Christmas tree itself. As they like to say here, it’s a “memory day,” a day to celebrate family, the beauty of nature, and the spirit of the Christmas season. In addition to finding a beautiful tree for your home, you can also purchase beautiful Christmas décor, get a cup of cocoa, and more.

Don’t worry about cutting the tree down yourself, either. At Boyd’s, they’ll do all the heavy lifting for you. They’ll cut it, transport it down the mountain, bale it, and put it on your vehicle.

While you’re at Boyd’s, there are plenty of other ways to support this local farm, which is what Ingles Markets is all about: supporting over 3,000 local farms and businesses.

There is something a little magical about wandering through the rows of fir trees, breathing in the crisp, pine-scented air and feeling the bows brush against your shoulder. It’s an experience you shouldn’t miss.

So, point the family sleigh toward your local Christmas tree farm. If you want to visit Boyd’s, find them online at BoydMountainChristmasTreeFarm.com, and head up into the mountains for a day to remember. Your weekend is waiting on the Ingles Open Road.

To learn more about Ingles Markets, visit their website at ingles-markets.com.