In 1980, Jack and Judy Ewing moved with their two daughters to rural Eustis, Florida. Jack had just retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and decorated pilot from the Air Force, and Judy was a registered nurse. They built a house on their 33 acre property, watched their children graduate from Eustis High School, and decided that they wanted to do something productive with their land.

Both Jack and Judy came from farming backgrounds - Jack had grown up on a farm in northeastern Ohio, and Judy on a farm in North Dakota. Jack investigated Florida crops and was intrigued with the little known Florida Christmas Tree.

In 1987, Jack planted 1000 Virginia Pine trees. The Virginia Pine would not grow in the deep sandy soil prevalent in the area, so this first attempt was a disaster!

Then, Jack discovered the Choctawhatchee Sand Pine, which he planted the following year. By 1989, the Ewing's had a small selection of 5-foot choose and cut Christmas trees, and they sold about 100 trees.

By 1990, the Ewing's had added several attactions to the farm. Jack built an iconic red and white A-frame building, dubbed Santa's Workshop, and Judy filled it with attractive hand-crafted ornaments and gifts. A petting zoo was stocked with a variety of farm animals. The Reindeer Haystack was started, which was a large mound of hay in which the kids could jump and play, and a tractor-pulled hayride transported customers through the field.

Since then, the farm has grown and prospered. Jack and Judy's children and grandchildren have enjoyed helping out on the farm. Thousands of loyal customers visit the farm on the busiest weekends. Three types of trees are grown in the field, and cedar, cypress, and pine trees are offered in pots for a live Christmas trees. Christmas trees that can only be grown in states north of us are transported in refrigerated trucks and offered for patrons who prefer this type of tree, so that they may purchase the freshest tree in the area and enjoy our country environment. Activities now include kiddie cart rides, horse rides, a maze, and visits from Santa. A concession stand offers drinks, snacks, and food that can be cooked on the always-burning campfire.

The farm continues to expand, and is now opening for the fall season. New for 2009, Santa's Christmas Tree Forest will offer Halloween hours. Pumpkins, rides, concessions, and gifts will all be at Santa's A Lot of Pumpkins. And for 2010, beware of the haunted woods...