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NJ Farm Offers Bountiful, Healthy Crop Of Christmas Trees

By David Madden

SEWELL, N.J. (CBS) - Right about now, you'll start to see lots of folks with Christmas trees strapped to the top of their cars. It is the season after all, which is evident at one farm in Gloucester County.

Exley's has been selling Christmas trees for over 30 of its more than 50 year history in Sewell. They turn it into a real family affair -- Santa, hayrides, even an indoor train display. But when it comes to picking the perfect tree, owner Bob Exley offers this advice:

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Bob Exley, owner of Exley's (Credit: David Madden)

"It's just like looking for a car. You don't want to see any dents. You don't want to see any rust. So for a tree, you want to see nice green. You want to see the branches standing up nice and you want to see a tree that has a straight trunk."

Exley says their Christmas trees are always freshly cut:

"The corner lot, sitting on blacktop, the trees dry out within days. Anything here is either gonna be growing right on the stump, or we have it sitting in wood chips so it stays nice and fresh."

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(Credit: David Madden)

A good 7 foot Douglas Fir will set you back about $52 -- the same as last year, and a freshly cut tree, properly cared for in the house, should last three to four weeks.

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