Growing up, John and Megan Tooker used to go with their families to find their Christmas trees at tree farms in New England.

This year, the Tookers wanted to start their own family tradition with their son, Quinn, 2. The Tookers, who now live in Bellefonte, went Friday to Tannenbaum Farms located in Centre Hall -- about 10 miles from downtown State College -- to find Quinn's first Christmas tree.

With the cart behind him and Quinn on his shoulders, John Tooker, a researcher of entomology at Penn State, set out with his wife, Megan, to find their perfect Christmas tree.

"Quinn never got a Christmas tree before, so this will be the first time," John said as the family moved toward the Douglas fir section.

Despite Quinn's lack of experience when it comes to Christmas tree hunting and his small stature, John said Quinn would still be able to help cut down the tree.

"Don't underestimate him. He's strong," John said with a smile.

After a few minutes of looking at trees, John looked up at Quinn and asked, "Hey, you want to pick out a tree?"

"Yeah," Quinn said.

John let Quinn off his shoulders and Quinn scrambled his little legs to the nearest Douglas fir.

The Tookers are just one of the many families who come to find their Christmas trees at Tannenbaum Farms.

"I don't think we are ever ready. It just happens," owner Martha Weidensaul said about the swarms of people that come during the Christmas season.

Employee Luke Schrieter, 16, of Centre Hall, said he has a four-wheeler that he uses to move around the farm to clip greens.

But once the Christmas season begins, families are given a saw and the primary mobile vehicles used are the metal carts to carry their selected trees back to the store.

Quinn's quest for a Christmas tree didn't last long when he accidentally took a spill in a hole leftover from a tree and climbed into his mother's arms.

Despite the fallen tree hunter, the family continued its search. John asked Quinn again for his input, and Quinn pointed to another tree.

After a few more trees, the family decided on one, and John, along with the help of Quinn, started to cut down the tree as Megan took pictures.

"There you go," Quinn's dad coached him, as he held Quinn's hand helping him move the saw. "This might take a long time."

When the tree was finally cut, John lifted the tree and put it on the cart. John and Quinn pulled the tree back to store with Megan beside them.

"We're such a young family," John said about the importance of going to a tree farm to find a Christmas tree. "[It] just establishes a family tradition."

Just as the Tookers, Martha and Craig Weidensaul started a family tradition 36 years ago when they moved from Ohio to Centre County and bought Tannenbaum Farms. Now, four generations work at the farm and take part in the Christmas tree festivities.

"For many people this is their tradition," Martha said about the families who come to cut down their Christmas trees. "There's a lot of traditions involved just like other Christmas traditions."