Christmas Tree Hunting

Last Saturday we finally headed out to a tree farm to pick out a, yeah you guessed it, a tree, to be decorated, swooned over and for it to drop needles all over my floor, become a watering hole for our cats and a place for Ruby to sleep under. Usually we will find a tree on our property to chop down but this year there was slim picking and I had my heart on a fat, fluffy tree, not a Charlie Brown type. While it sure is a pain in the arse to bring the tree into our house and spend hours untangling lights only to have them flicker and die after they are hung, then hang ungoshly amounts of ornaments that have accumulated over the years, it completes the final Christmas decor. Not to mention it smells so heavenly.


We headed to a friend's tree farm where the kids were overwhelmed in their choices of trees to choose from. There were so many nice ones! And it was cold, so very cold I tell you. Even though we were all bundled up, I debated just going back to my truck to warm up. But that would be a bad mom thing to do. Wimpy too. I can't be a wimp in times like these. Besides, who would capture these moments?

Mini Me shouted over and over "There is one, over there, here is one!" Overwhelmed, very much so.



Yooper pulls Yooper Jr. to his side, wraps his arm around him and says "Son, look to the trees, not the forest, and you will find thee one."


"Huh? WAAA?? Mom, what is Dad trying to say?" Son, it is okay, I deal with his philosophical nature on a daily basis. Just pass it on as advice.


I tell Yooper Jr. to brush off the tree branches so I can see the "whole picture" of how the tree will look without snow on it. There is that philosophical thinking again, I think.


Mini Me has found a tree! A good one, no great and we decide after a half hour of treading through two feet of snow and zero degree wind chills that this will be the tree for our 2008 Christmas. Not to mention at this point all of the trees are beginning to look great!


When we realize we have forgotten to grab a saw, we walk back up to our friend's house, find a saw then walk back to our tree and Yooper begins the painstakingly job of sawing the tree down. He's cursing about this time too, wishing for a chain saw to appear.
"Honey, are you getting snow down the back of your neck? Son, shake more snow off the branches! It will cool him off. He's working into a sweat from sawing."


When it is finally cut and falls over it's time to do the dragging.
"Hey Ms. Paparazzi, put that thing away for 9 seconds and why don't you come help us drag this beast!"
Who me? But honey I don't want to miss capturing these splendid family moments together!


Finally Yooper Jr. to the rescue. Even with 11 years of age, he is "strong like bull".


Put those kids to work honey! Make them earn their keep and earn some brownie points from ole Mr. Santa Claus. After a few brownie points later and 5 feet of dragging, I hear whining coming from my kids. I'm sure Santa is watching too, making notes, smiling, and capturing this moment;)