As a young boy from small-town Columbia, Jeremy Thomley would often visit his grandfather’s Lamar County farm, which is known for growing Christmas trees and for supplying generations of Hattiesburg area residents with the beloved holiday tradition.
Thomley was fascinated with the piece of property, and, to this day, he calls it a “magical place.” However, he never expected to become its caretaker and owner, and he readily admits he does not know much about Christmas trees.
However, he is always learning, and he is carrying on the family business as the new owner of Thomley’s Christmas Tree Farm & Gift Shop on Hegwood Road. Thomley purchased the farm earlier this year with his wife, Lindsay, and the couple was happy to open it for a season that has already been booming with business.
“My grandfather was born on this piece of land more than a hundred years ago, and the house he was born in is still here,” Thomley said. “My family acquired this land about that time, and they were from Mobile, Alabama, originally. My grandfather lived here, and he died in another house on the property. This was his entire life.”
The Christmas tree endeavor was started in 1967, and it evolved to its current size and scope under the careful management of both his grandfather and later his father.
“Coming here to work on the farm with my granddaddy was my favorite thing to do,” Thomley, 38, said. “He grew cotton and corn, and we sold Christmas trees for next to nothing. We had fun. This has always been a fixture in my life, a place to come home to.”
According to Thomley, his great-grandfather used the farm to provide food for the surrounding community long before the days of its Christmas trees. He grew various crops and then sold them along the side of the road.
“There’s a long tradition of farming here,” he said. “I’m having to learn how to farm, and there’s a definite learning curve. That curve has been almost comical at times. I didn’t know what to do with hay or how to fix a tractor.”
Before taking on the responsibilities of a full-time farmer, Thomley was a rock climber who was always on the road looking for his next adventure. He married Lindsay a little more than three years ago, and the couple decided to settle in Hattiesburg.
Thomley had long held an interest in working with steel, and he was also learning about the art of glassblowing, or a technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. To further those desires, he opened Mohawk Steel & Glass Co. on the family property in 2016 with business partner and sculptor Daniel Bell.
That company offers personalized glassblowing experiences and is also a venue for Thomley’s steel sculptures and his workshop.
“We opened the only glassblowing shop in Mississippi, and we use the shop as a way to be artists and make money while also teaching people,” Thomley said. “The farm became a teaching tool, too. We want folks to come out and not just get a Christmas tree, but we want them to be inspired and to know that, if you take care of a piece of property that is something beautiful, there will be rich rewards. We started shifting to education, and we welcome field trips and date nights. People can experience the glassblowing shop and also see a fully-functioning farm.”
The farm encompasses 29 acres in total, and 10 of those acres are dedicated to Christmas trees. Thomley said an average tree grows about 2 feet a year, and an average 6-foot-tall tree could be mature and ready to be cut in three or four years. He added that the growth process is risky and is heavily dependent on weather events.
“With all the crazy weather we’ve been having lately, some of the Christmas trees are leaning a little,” he said. “There’s a lot that can go wrong in the process. At one time, we had about 10,000 trees, but I’d say we have about 9,000 now.”
The farm’s operations have been largely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Thomley said it has put a damper on the number of tourists seen each year. For example, schools and church groups have canceled their usual field trips, which has been a blow to the Thomleys.
“We love having people visit here, and the pandemic has affected that,” he said. “However, we’re looking forward to welcoming those groups back soon, and we know they’ll enjoy it as much as we do. We’ll be ready for them.”
The remaining acreage is devoted to buildings and to the farm’s goat population, which is steadily growing. Thomley estimates that by Christmas, the farm will have 25 adult goats and around 20 “little babies.”
“We started with the goats as more of a joke, but they’re good little companions,” he said.
Thomley said maintaining the Christmas tree population is a demanding job and a lot more work than one would think.
“It’s tough work to mow around these trees and to trim and spray them,” he said. “They don’t just grow in an organized manner; they have to be trimmed at least twice a year. They’re sprayed to prevent bugs and disease, so it’s a lot of labor. I’m hoping my little goats will help me with the grass.”
He is aided in those efforts by several temporary workers, and he said a lot of volunteers – especially people with a history at the farm or who have fallen in love with the property over the years – also come by to help.
“There have been generations of men who have come to the farm and have learned to work,” Thomley said. “A lot of men learned hard work out here, and they learned work ethic and drive here. It’s a special place to many people.”
On Nov. 1, the Christmas tree farm opened for tagging, meaning customers could start dropping by and selecting their trees.
“We’ve already had a good business there,” Thomley said. “People can stop by and reserve their trees, and then they can pick them up after Thanksgiving or whenever they want to start displaying them.”
The farm is open from 9 a.m. until dark on Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. until dark on Sunday. In addition to live trees and the glassblowing area, the gift shop also features a number of handcrafted ornaments and other Christmas decor items.
For more information on Thomley’s endeavors, visit jeremythomley.com or call the farm at (601) 264-2743.
