Support agriculture and celebrate the real reason for CHRISTmas

The Reese family is known for many things: orneriness, entertainment and "dazzling good looks"….. (direct quote from Matt Reese)


But perhaps the Christmas tree is what we are most known for, at least in northwest Ohio. My in-laws Dave and Jan Reese started Kaleidoscope Farms when their four young boys were small. They wanted to create a business that would teach their boys a good work ethic, religious values and make a little money to help put for college.

So now those four little boys are grown and there is a new generation of helpers in town. Our two Campbell and Parker love to help on the farm. This year the kids are getting old enough to learn what Christmas is all about. We talk about why we celebrate and how fortunate we are to be able to have a home, the freedoms to worship the one true God and even put some nice gifts under the tree. While we do sell Christmas Trees, we hope that you will remember the true meaning of Christmas while picking out that perfect tree this year and remember why we celebrate.

The appearance of the bright star or angel reminds us that God is still actively involved in revealing Himself to mankind.

The night Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the archangel Gabriel appeared to the shepherds announcing the wonderful birth of the Savior into the world. And then there was the star that moved across the sky while the three wise men from the East followed it. They knew, that at a certain time, a child would be born that would rule as King of a kingdom that would never end. They went and worshiped Him, presenting him with precious gifts.

The colorful decorations and beautiful lights, pictures of loved ones, lovely ornaments, more angels and stars, sparkling trinkets along with some glittering tinsel adorning the tree remind us of the magnificent gift that our Heavenly Father presented to all humankind that night.

The gifts that are so lovingly wrapped and placed under the tree were originally intended as reminders of God’s gift of love and our response to his gift. People were giving to show their love and belief in Christ, for everything He did and the love that was shown toward them when He died on the cross.

This gift from God is with us throughout the year but we memorialize it by putting up a tree during the Christmas season. The decorated tree is a visual reminder that on that night long ago God sent us the greatest gift that has ever been given, His Son Jesus Christ. He is still with us today.

John 3:16 says:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

A Brown Christmas?

This is a blog topic that you will not see me writing about often, or maybe ever again. I had to attempt to tackle this because it was so funny and gross. At our tree farm we did a beautiful new expansion of our gift shop. We are moving into the new age with our technology and of course our growing practices. While we have come a long way, we still use a Porta-John , a nice one but still a Porta -John. We have discussed adding on an actual bathroom with a toilet and even running water.


As any business owners know, you take it one major expense at a time. While, as workers on the farm, it would be wonderful to have a traditional bathroom but you do what you need to do.

This year my sister-in-law had to brave the elements. She came back to the tree barn and was half laughing half crying. She started to explain what she had encountered.

It is an unfortunate sight but we have all done it….looked into the dark hole before going to the bathroom. It just happens, even if you try not to. What my sister in law saw was a shock and a very laughable moment for our entire family and staff. There was pair a of men’s underwear that had been adorned with…well let’s just say a substance you expect to find in a pre potty-trained child’s pants.

The Reese family is known for their very active imaginations. We all had to think what this poor man was going through. We are sure he had a brief moment of panic when this all went down… the moment could not have been brief actually, in fact it was boxers! It could not have been pretty and it had to be a very memorable moment at Kaleidoscope Farms. While this is certainly not our fondest family memory at the farm, it is a definite number 2!