The 'Erin Brockovich' actor has no need to buy Christmas tree this year as he got it from his family ranch after spending coronavirus lockdown with his parents in the mountains.

• Dec 26, 2020

AceShowbiz - Actor Aaron Eckhart didn't have to travel far to find his Christmas tree this year - he chopped one down on the family ranch.

"The Dark Knight" star has been hanging out with his parents at their pad in the mountains during the coronavirus crisis and he had his eye on one festive prize for weeks.

"There's a tree I have my eye on," he told "Live with Kelly and Ryan" earlier this month (Dec20). "During the year when I'm out working (on the ranch), I'll look at a tree, and my mum will be there, or somebody, and I'll say, 'That's a good Christmas tree there, let's keep an eye on that one', so we've got them all picked out."

He's also thrilled he got to continue an Eckhart family tradition of helping install a "communal" Christmas tree, too.

"Where I'm at, my mum decorates a Christmas tree every year. She puts bulbs on it and then we invite the neighbour ranches... to bring their kids to decorate the tree with us. So we have a communal Christmas tree in our neighbourhood."

And though he's not sure of his plans for the big day itself, Aaron jokes he's more likely to be "outdoors" working on another family project than warming his feet in front of a fire.

"I like to be outdoors, I mostly work. We're building a little rock cabin, a perfect little place down by the creek, and we're collecting rocks for that. It's a family affair - my mum, my dad, everybody is involved with it."

"People ask if I go fly fishing and go skiing and that sort of stuff and I don't really," he adds. "I just move rocks and split wood and stuff like that all day long."