Finding a tree in your backyard: A North Carolina Christmas story

You don't have to make an 8 hour round-trip to the mountains to cut your own Christmas tree. There are now more than a dozen farms within an hour's drive of Raleigh that offer the choose and cut experience.

Boyce Farms is one of the busiest local Christmas tree farms in Wake County. Owner Mike Boyce and his wife got the idea years ago during a trip to the mountains to get their tree. They came back and started planting their own trees to bring the experience much closer to home. Boyce Farms grows four different types of trees to cater to all tastes.

"Me and my wife went to a chose and cut farm when we first got married and had so much fun we decided to do it ourselves," said Boyce.

Christmas Trees are big business with more than 30 Million trees sold each year in the U.S. The majority of those trees come from Oregon but North Carolina runs a quick second, accounting for more than 4.5 million trees every Christmas. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington round out the top tree producing states.

Within North Carolina, by far the majority of trees are grown and sold in the mountains but the local options are growing. You can now find a choose and cut tree farm in almost every county.