Native Floridians Joe and Vicki Lowry seem like an unlikely duo to launch an annual Christmas experience with all the trimmings of a Northern-style holiday. After all, the Lowrys have lived in Florida all their lives, so they admittedly have no idea what Christmastime up North is really like. Yet, in 1986, when customers who visited their nursery business started lamenting about how the holidays in Florida “just didn’t feel like they did up North,” the Lowrys decided to do something about it.
“The first year, we ordered trees and made them look like you had to cut them down rather than just picking them. And when you bought a tree, you got a free hayride,” says Vicki. “Joe would go out on weekends and put signs up. We just crossed our fingers that we would sell trees.”
The Lowrys did sell trees—so many that they decided to do it again the following year. By year three, they added a hot chocolate bar. Then Joe started building a Christmas village. “It just grew and grew,” says Vicki.
When the couple sold their nursery and bought a smaller property, they quickly outgrew the new space. So, in 2018 they bought a 20-acre property on Oleander Avenue in Port St. Lucie and constructed a 5,000-square-foot barn. What’s now known as Santa’s Christmas Tree Village has become an annual tradition not only for the Lowrys but for the thousands of visitors who enjoy the holiday experience every year.
The Lowrys’ tree forest now has 200 trees ranging in height from 3 to 17 feet. Visitors walk through the forest and pick trees with names like “Frosty” or “Santa.” “I had a niece who was 10 years old and wanted to do something, so she started writing Christmas names on all the trees,” says Vicki. The tradition stuck; Vicki says people tell her the names of trees they have purchased in the past when they return for a new one each year.
After picking the perfect pine, visitors can head to The Barn at Oleander for hot chocolate, baked donuts, or fresh popcorn; or shop for holiday ornaments, decorations, tree stands, and lights. The Lowrys also sell local honey harvested from the hives on their property. Outside, families can snap a photo next to one of the festive blow-up characters while a snow-making machine sprinkles them with fresh powder. Santa Claus himself even makes an appearance on select days.
It takes a solid three weeks to set up the magic each year, and Vicki says everyone in the Lowry family helps. Over the years, her two kids have brought boyfriends, girlfriends, (and eventually spouses and children) into the family’s seasonal world. “If you are in our family, you work at the Tree Village. Everybody always knew that during those couple of weeks, everything else gets put to the side,” she laughs. “And if you’re dating, that guy or girl comes here and works, too!”
As they celebrate yet another year, the Lowrys are thankful for the community they have built. “There are so many people who come and tell me, ‘You probably don’t remember me, but I came here as a kid and now I’m bringing my children,’” says Vicki. “It is wonderful that a lot of people have kept the tradition.”
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