John Munro is a farmer, but not of sheep or beef. He owns a Christmas tree farm in Kaikorai Valley.
Mr Munro first heard of the Christmas tree farm concept in 1990.
''I was a forestry contractor for 28 years and started selling some trees as fundraisers for kindergartens.
''Some years later, I met some guys from Germany - I had been asked to take them hunting. I invited them back home for dinner and they were fascinating. One of them had a Christmas tree farm in Germany and that's how he funded his trip.
''I started planting in 1992 and we opened up for the first season in '95 or '96. It's a long, drawn-out process because the trees take years to grow.''
A highlight for families visiting the farm, particularly children, is ''Santa's reindeer''.
''Bambi was a wild fawn found stuck in some fencing up the Hakataramea Valley about 10 years ago.
''She was hand-reared and is now very user-friendly. We got Kevin from a deer farm near Balclutha and he is 13 or 14 now.''
Children were able to feed the deer carrots while their parents selected a tree.
''The kids love the deer. Some of them are quite clever and ask how Santa is going to deliver presents if his reindeer are here, but I tell them I just look after them until Christmas Eve.''
The pair would soon have help pulling Santa's sleigh, as Bambi had recently given birth to a fawn, named Chocolate Button.
''She is as cute as anything and it's very rare for a deer to be that brown.''
He usually sold 300 to 400 trees each year but had sold fewer in recent years because he did not plant enough seedlings in 2005, as he had been grieving over the death of his son Nicholas.
He had sold all his stock for this year, which was about 140 trees.
''In the early days, my son Nicholas and I would be down there planting trees in the depth of winter, hoping on hope that we would actually sell some. Now it's my son Campbell and I running things, with help from my wife and our other children.
''Nicholas helped with the setting up of the business - building fences and planting trees. He used to sit out the front in a Santa suit and people would be tooting and waving - he thought that was hilarious, he thought it was great fun.''
Mr Munro has grand plans for the farm, including a Santa's grotto where children can have photos taken, and a luge with a chairlift.
- by David Beck
