Hunting for a Christmas Tree

I love Christmas trees! The lights. The ornaments. The smell. I love waking up in the morning to the scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree. I love sitting by the tree in the evening with a cup of cocoa in my hands.

When I was growing up in Oregon, our family would go into the woods to select and cut our Christmas tree. It was an all-day adventure. Trees in the forest aren’t groomed and pruned like the ones at the tree farm so finding a tree we liked took much longer. We would wander around and around and around until we found the perfect one. Then my dad would cut the tree and haul it to the car.

Then there was the time years later when our venture into the woods didn’t exactly go as planned. The trip to get our tree included a scary accident. A tow truck was needed to retrieve our car that was halfway down a long steep hill.

These days we get our tree from a local tree farm. I’m always amazed at how little time it takes to find the perfect tree. Row after row and tree after tree that is perfectly groomed; ready to cut and take home.  We still make an event out of it including egg nogg lattes and candy canes. And a few pictures of course.

When we get the tree home, it gets set up in the stand with water. Hopefully I’ve already rearranged the living room to make space for it.  And then come the lights. Even without the ornaments the lights bring the festive feeling of Christmas. That’s all I need to get started.

Some people – like my sister – enjoy beautiful artificial trees. They have their advantages, but I still like the real thing. Any way you do it – nothing beats a Christmas tree.

Let the Christmas season begin!