By JASON CAMPBELL

The Bulletin

Just because you don’t live in the mountains doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the feeling of cutting down your own Christmas tree.

While the age of concrete lots has changed how most of us select our favorite holiday decoration, there are still a few places within driving distance that appeal to the lumberjack in all of us.

And the best part is that you don’t have to sacrifice any of the luxuries that come from living in or around a metropolitan area to enjoy the feeling of running a saw across the bottom of a tree, hauling it back to your car, and then spending the next four hours trying to get it to stand up straight in your living room.

Here are a few places that provide that opportunity if you’re looking for the full Christmas tree experience:

*Come and Cut Christmas Trees – Located at 5406 Milnes Road off of Claus Road in Modesto, this unique slice of Christmas heaven has been giving people the opportunity to find their perfect Christmas tree and cut it themselves for years.

And it’s only a 35 minute drive from Manteca (if you don’t get caught in traffic on Highway 99) which means you can find a tree, cut it down, and drive it home without sacrificing much more than a few hours.

Some of the varieties that are available to bring home include incensed cedar, Leyland cypress, Monterey pine and Sequoia redwood – somewhat different than the traditional fir offerings that only grow at certain elevations.

For those who don’t have a saw at home, the farm provides one for you to use and also has other farm-fresh items for you to take home. To get there from Manteca take Highway 99 South to the Briggsmore Avenue exit and head east. Follow it all the way out through Modesto to Claus Road and turn left. Turn right on Milnes Road and the entrance to the farm is the only driveway between Church Street and Langworth Road. The farm is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call 209.613.8708.

*Calaveras County – If you are stuck on the notion of getting a fir tree, and still want to be able to cut your own, a short drive up into Calaveras County will satisfy those needs as well.  There are places in West Point and Murphy’s that offer cut-your-own Douglas and White Fir trees as well as other precut varieties like Noble Firs. Alto Tree Farm in West Point, accessible by taking Highway 26 to Spink Road and turning right, as well as Anderson Christmas Tree Farm, accessible by taking Highway 4 to Murphys, turning right on Pennsylvania Gulch Road, right on Skunk Ranch Road and left on Mustang Road, have multiple varieties available.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.