Photos: Opening weekend at Hoffman Tree Farm

Community members flocked to Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion on Friday for their opening day to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.

Savannah Blake

Nov. 29, 2024 1:50 pm, Updated: Nov. 29, 2024 2:39 pm

The Shaffer family of Cedar Rapids smile as they haul the Christmas tree they cut themselves at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. The family has been coming to Hoffman’s for five years and say they enjoy the tradition of cutting down their own tree. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Jennifer Ziegler of Cedar Rapids and her daughter, Emery Ziegler, 10, check out a potential Christmas tree at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

The Ziegler family of Cedar Rapids walks together to pick out a Christmas tree at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Aaron Shaffer of Cedar Rapids holds his Christmas tree as a machine shakes off any loose needles at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Aaron Shaffer of Cedar Rapids props the Christmas tree he cut down onto a tree shaker at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Sara Shaffer, 9, of Cedar Rapids takes a moment to evaluate a couple of trees while picking out a Christmas tree with her family at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

James Shaffer, 7, left, and Sara Shaffer, 9, right watch as their father Aaron Shaffer of Cedar Rapids cuts down the Christmas tree they selected as a family at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Jennifer Ziegler of Cedar Rapids, Josh Ziegler and their son Graham Ziegler, 7, check out a potential Christmas tree at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. The Ziegler family has been cutting down their own Christmas tree for 12 years. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Community members gather in the pre-cut tree farm to pick out Christmas trees at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Owen Dan Hoffman says the majority of people who visit the tree farm prefer to buy pre-cut trees. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Emery Ziegler, 10, of Cedar Rapids examines a tree while hunting for a Christmas tree to cut down with her family at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Sara Shaffer, 9, watches as her father Aaron Shaffer of Cedar Rapids loads their Christmas tree into a netting machine at Hoffman Tree Farm in Marion, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

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