The Ozark family spreads holiday cheer all year round with Christmas-themed Airbnb

Tucked away on a Christmas tree farm about 40 minutes from Fort Smith is a cabin that appears to have been taken straight from a Hallmark movie.

Throughout the year, the Christmas Treehouse at Christmas Tree Lane Farm in Ozark is a flurry of holiday cheer. The three-bedroom, two-bath cabin is covered in vacation-inspired decor with lights hanging from most surfaces, making it the perfect place to celebrate the most wonderful time of year, whatever whatever the month.

This is the spirit the Lane family wanted when they decided to open the cabin to the public.

“We try to make the party as festive as possible,” said Jim Lane, owner of the farm and cabin with his wife Karen.

The Lane family started their Christmas tree farm in 1990 and originally had a small shed from which they did business. When the family decided they wanted a bigger space in the early 2000s, Lane knew he wanted to eventually rent it.

But the family realized that they would have to kick people out during the holiday season to work on the farm in the cabin, so they never did.

In 2018, the Lanes discovered platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, which specialize in short-term rentals, and realized that it was a perfect solution.

“It took off,” Lane said. “It has worked really well and we stay pretty much full all year round.”

Dallas wallpaper specialist Maria Lopez first stayed at the Christmas Cabin in September for a business trip – but she already has a second vacation trip planned in January.

“The Christmas spirit in every corner of the cabin is amazing,” said Lopez.

She was shocked when a local customer recommended the cabin while looking for places to stay on a work trip.

“I said ‘the Christmas cabin? It’s September, ”Lopez said.

The recommendation was one of the best she’s ever received.

The Lanes are dedicated to ensuring that their guests enjoy a stay in their vacation haven.

“There’s a lot of love in it,” Lane said.

They started building the cabin in 2005, tearing down old barns and other things to give it a rustic look. Building it was not always easy and the Lanes worked on it when they had the time and money, which weren’t always simultaneous.

The effort put into the cabin was well worth it.

“We have a guestbook, well now we’re like our third guestbook, and sometimes what they say makes us cry,” Lane said. “It means a lot to people when they come here and have a bit of peace and solitude and can enjoy the feeling of Christmas all year round. ”