Are you a fake tree or a live tree person? We are live tree people. It is what Darryl and I both grew up with - going out to a tree farm, finding the perfect tree, cutting down, and hauling it home. Most of our married life we have also had a live tree. There were 2 years I believe that we had a fake tree - the years that Darryl was dealing with a back injury and then surgery. Our guys were little so I'm not even sure they remember those years. We were laughing recently about the fact that the year Nate was turning one we actually picked out a 3 foot tree. Why? Because he was into EVERYTHING! So, we put a card table behind the couch and set the tree on the table. Looking into the living room it just looked like we had set the tree in front of the window, behind the couch - no one knew it was short!
For quite a few years we had a wonderful tree farm about 40 minutes away that we visited every year. They had beautiful trees, a campfire burning, hot chocolate, and horse drawn wagons if you wanted a ride. We loved seeing the workers every year including the elderly owner. Eventually we learned that the owner had decided to return and sell the land so we visited their last season and made one last memory at that wonderful farm. It took us over a year to find another "perfect" tree farm (that year in between - we found a farm that we would NOT visit again HA!). Rainbow's End is wonderful. Their prices are great (when we started going the price for any pine, any size was $18.00 . . . now it is $24.00 so still reasonable), their trees are beautiful, and the owners are just great! They have alpacas and other farm animals to see, lots of photo ops, and a warming barn with crafts and treats.
Josh picked out the tree this year - a big fluffy white pine. I'll be honest, we weren't sold on it because this type of tree has more flimsy branches for ornaments but in the end (as you will see) it was beautiful.
The last few years Nate has cut down the tree but he decided to let Darryl relive memories and cut it down this year. (The snow on the ground might have had a part in that decision LOL)
And it is down!
Josh and Nate loaded it on top of the blazer so we could take it up to the barn and get it baled, shaken, and drilled.
Our traditional selfie with the tree on the truck :-) It was windy but thankfully not too chilly.
Before we leave the farm we always visit the animals and take our traditional photos!
Some years we head home and decorate the tree; some years we get home, let the tree dry for a bit and put it up. It's nice to let it sit for a bit in the house so that the branches "settle". That is what we did this year so I had a pine tree in my living room for a day or two HA!
We do really enjoy getting it decorated though. As is tradition, we got pizza (I am so thankful for Little Ceaser's as it is still so inexpensive!) on "tree night". Darryl and Nate worked on the lights and then we all worked on the decorations. With th fluffy, cloud like branches and fuller, longer needles, we had to pick and chose our ornaments this year. There wasn't room for all of them and the ones with "substance" were too heavy. In the end it turned out perfectly though and we are all enjoying it! Our final tradition around the tree is that we watch Home Alone while we decorate. Darryl and I have been doing that our whole married life. Such a fun tradition!
The finished product! I love the Christmas lights :-)
The work before the final product.
No matter what your traditions are around the tree I hope you enjoy the family time and always remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
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