A longtime East Texas grower with a distinctive Thanksgiving Day opening, but no confirmed tree price, species, or cutting method, so this is a call-ahead visit rather than a plan-and-go one.
Merket has been growing trees in Panola County long enough to have a specific, sourced claim behind it: the farm supplied a tree to the Camp David presidential retreat back in 2001. That doesn’t tell you anything about this year’s trees, but it’s a real signal of a farm that has stuck with this business across a long stretch when a lot of small East Texas growers haven’t.
Most farms in this region wait until the day after Thanksgiving to open. Merket opens on Thanksgiving Day itself, at noon, running until 6pm. If getting first pick of the season matters more to you than keeping your whole Thanksgiving afternoon free, that’s a genuine edge over farms that make everyone wait for Black Friday. After opening day, the schedule settles into short weekday hours (3pm-6pm) and longer weekend hours (9am-6pm), running through Christmas Eve. The short weekday window means an after-work visit is possible but tight – plan to arrive close to 3pm if a weeknight trip is your only option.
This is where the listing runs thin. No tree species are named anywhere in the sources checked. No pricing – not a per-foot rate, not a flat fee – turned up either. And whether you’re expected to cut your own tree, choose one for staff to cut, or pick from a precut lot isn’t stated. Those are three of the most basic facts a visitor needs before driving out, and none of them are confirmed here. That’s not necessarily a knock on the farm – plenty of small operations don’t keep a detailed public website – but it does mean this listing works better as a reason to call than as a plan-and-go itinerary. Call (903) 678-2359 and ask directly what’s available and what it costs.
The activity list holds up even without pricing details: weekend Santa visits, a Santa mailbox for kids’ letters, petting animals, hot cider, and farm tours. Wreaths are sold separately from the tree. None of these come with a dollar figure attached in the record, so budget loosely for extras rather than assuming a specific number.
Merket sits about 15 miles from the Wonderland of Lights display in Marshall, a well-known large-scale holiday lights show. If you’re already driving out to Panola County for a tree, that proximity makes it easy to turn the outing into a fuller day – tree cutting in the afternoon, lights in the evening – without much added driving.
Merket has real history and a distinctive Thanksgiving Day opening worth knowing about if timing matters to you, but the total absence of pricing, species, and cutting-method information means you’re calling ahead no matter what, not showing up with a plan already in place.
The farm opens Thanksgiving Day itself (Nov 26, 2026) from noon-6pm, then runs Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm and Sat-Sun 9am-6pm through Christmas Eve, Dec 24, 2026. Weekends give you the longest window; weekday visits are tight given the 3pm start.
Not stated in the record. The activity list (petting animals, farm tours, Santa mailbox) suggests more than a five-minute cut-and-go stop, but no specific duration is given.
Not stated in the record. A Thanksgiving Day opening may draw lighter early crowds than farms that wait for the day-after rush, but that's a general inference, not a confirmed fact -- the first Saturday after Thanksgiving is still the likeliest busiest day of the season.
Not described in the record. Most East Texas tree lots like this operate on unpaved farm fields, so expect grass or gravel rather than pavement.
Not addressed in the sources reviewed.
Skip Merket if you need a confirmed tree price or species list before committing to the drive, or if you can only visit on a weekday and the 3pm-6pm window doesn't fit your schedule.
About 15 miles from the Wonderland of Lights display in Marshall, per the record, so the two can reasonably be combined into one trip.
Not stated in the record. No pricing was found in the sources checked, so call the farm at (903) 678-2359 to ask before you go.
The record doesn't specify whether trees are cut-your-own, choose-and-cut, or precut only. This is worth confirming by phone.
Thanksgiving Day (Nov 26, 2026) noon-6pm, then Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am-6pm, through Christmas Eve, Dec 24, 2026.
Yes -- the record lists weekend Santa visits, a Santa mailbox, petting animals, hot cider, and farm tours.
November 26 – December 24, 2026. Thanksgiving Day, then daily with shorter weekday hours. Hours: Thanksgiving Day 12pm-6pm; Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm; Sat-Sun 9am-6pm; through Christmas Eve.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
785 FM 1794 W, Beckville, TX 75631, in Panola County. It is one of 11 farms we track in East Texas Piney Woods.
We track 11 farms in East Texas Piney Woods, 8 of which let you cut your own tree. The farm has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
Its season runs about 29 days against a regional average of 35, so it is a shorter window than most of its neighbours — miss it and it may be sold out before nearby farms close.
What sets it apart locally: it has a petting area, a cocoa or cider stand, wreaths and garland for sale, which most East Texas Piney Woods farms on our list do not.
facebook.com · texaschristmastrees.net
Checked September 2026.