Have you ever heard of Ohio’s famous Christmas Tree Home?
Some people love Christmas, and then some people REALLY go all out in their love of Christmas.
Barbara Hardesty of Columbus is a Christmas fanatic – or, more specifically, a Christmas tree fanatic. She opens up her home to the public during several December weekends every year, and it’s a popular event among those in the know as she has created a festive holiday wonderland.
This video of Barbara and her home, made a few years ago when she only had 600+ trees, will give you a good look at the experience.
For the 2023 holiday season, Barbara now has more than 700 festively bedecked Christmas trees which completely take over her home in December.
Barbara started this labor of love years ago when she was fighting cancer and going through difficult treatments. She set a goal to put up 100 Christmas trees to help her get through that time.
Little did she know her Christmas tree collection – and her health – would flourish and result in media attention and public tours through her home every December! If that’s not Christmas magic, I don’t know what is.
As soon as I heard about Barbara’s story and her dazzling collection of Christmas trees, I wanted to get on the list to visit her festive home. There’s no cost to visit but there are limited time slots so you have to plan ahead and act fast.
It’s too late for this year, but if you join Barbara’s Christmas Tree Home group on Facebook, you’ll get plenty of notice to sign up for a visit next holiday season. Sign-ups usually take place in October.
I was so excited to meet Barbara and walk through her amazing Christmas Tree Home. For me, Christmas isn’t about a day but rather a season. I love finding new ways to enjoy sparkling lights, festive events and making joyful memories with family.
Winter can be a cold, dark place in Ohio – but seeing the joy and cheer that Barbara and her twinkling trees bring to her family, friends and even strangers truly warms my heart.
I truly think she could monetize this experience. I know that people would be willing to pay an entrance fee – it’s that cool to see her amazing, magical, sparkling holiday forest! But for now, she opens her home simply to spread the joy of the season. She does have a donation box for anyone who wants to give, and the donations are passed on to needy organizations in our community.
In some ways, Barbara’s Christmas Tree Home reminds me of the Hartman Rock Garden in Springfield. Both are Ohio treasures in my mind – and both were passion projects that started in Ohio suburbs and took on a life of their own.
As someone who tends to be a bit of a collector myself (my detractors may even accuse me of being a hoarder at times), I have a fond spot for collections that grow out of control and become newsworthy!
Do you know of other fun, offbeat holiday destinations – or collections that became tourist destinations? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
