BELLVILLE, Ohio — Christmas magic is in full swing at Kleerview Christmas Tree Farm in Bellville.
A drive down Baughman Road passes fields of Christmas trees, and reveals the sparkling white buildings with green roofs of Kleerview Farm. The farm is owned by Kevin and Debbie Kleer.
“The farm is 225 acres. Some acres are in Christmas trees and the rest is farmed to feed the Angus brood cows we have on the farm,” Debbie Kleer said.
With the help of Kevin’s grandfather, Frank Kleer, the Kleer’s planted their first Christmas trees in 1981. They planted 1,000 trees on one acre. This year, they planted approximately 3,000 trees on 16 acres.
In the past, the Kleer’s trees have gone to 44 communities in Ohio and to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
The farm has much to offer for Christmas, with not only trees but Santa’s Barnyard Express, the Christmas House and 15-minute wagon rides from the main farm to the Christmas House.
“We had 500 visitors last year who took the wagon ride around the farm and ponds to the Christmas House and we sold 1,600 trees,” Debbie Kleer said.
“We purchased the Christmas House and the acreage a number of years ago ago and thought we would tear the old house down. The house is about 150 years old and was owned by six generations of the Baughman family. We had an Amish man look at it and he said we should keep it, that it was in better shape than our farmhouse,” Debbie Kleer said.
Kleer decorates 10 rooms in the house, each with a different Christmas tree. This year, the trees include a candy cane tree, a wooden village tree, a snowman tree, Frosty in a bath tub, a Santa tree and an old-fashioned Christmas tree. The kitchen is the sleigh room.
“I love Christmas. I live on Christmas and work all year. This year, I’ve made about 150 wreaths for sale,” Kleer said.
But the main attraction for families are the reindeer who call Kleerview Farm home: Blitzen, Noel, Belle and babies Crystal and Nicholas.
The three adult Reindeer, Blitzen, Belle and Noel, have been with the Kleer’s for several years. The babies were born on the farm in May and June, 2015.
“The babies weighed 8 pounds and 8 ounces when they were born. We kept them in the utility room in the house at first and fed them every two hours. We had a kiddy gate to keep them in but they learned to jump the gate and we’d hear their hooves on the floor as they walked around looking for us to feed them,” Debbie Kleer said, laughing along with Kevin.
“They are high maintenance with a success rate of only 20 percent,” said Kevin Kleer.
When reindeer run or walk fast, their fetlock joints make a clicking noise, hence the clippity clop on the roof top in Clement Moore’s poem, “A Night Before Christmas.”
“When kids ask if they fly, I tell them Santa has a special dust to make them fly,” Debbie Kleer said.
Blitzen, Noel, Belle and the babies are also available for rent for holiday events.
“We’ve had 30 requests so far this year. They will be at the Millersburg Library, Abercrombie and Fitch in New Albany, Obetz, Light Up Mansfield, Saw Mill Creek, the Liederkranz and the Fredericktown Vet Clinic. The farthest trip is to Willoughby,” the Kleers said.
Visitors can cut their own tree or the Kleer’s will cut it, bag it and it’s ready to take home and decorate.
“We aren’t selling trees; we’re helping families start a tradition,” Debbie Kleer said.
The Kleer’s are also offering Holiday Hope Trees. Details are on their website.
Kleerview Christmas Tree Farm and Christmas House open Friday November 27. Hours are weekdays from 1-5 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The farm is located at 2454 Baughman Road, Bellville. The Kleer’s can be reached at 419-886-2029 or at their website.
