It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Country Pines tree farm near Marcus, even if the actual holiday was several weeks away.

The first snow of the season arrived in early November on the northwest Iowa farm, blanketing the 4.5-acre field of Christmas trees in white.

The antique Santa Claus decorations were already on display to greet visitors. And the barn was stacked with dozens of hand-made wreaths, the scent of fresh-cut evergreens filling the workshop.

“It smells like Christmas,” said Neal Bork, who owns and operates Country Pines tree farm with his wife, Marie.

The Borks say that the two weeks before Thanksgiving are their busiest time of year as they prepare to open their U-cut Christmas tree ...