The Quest for the Perfect Christmas Tree

Yesterday my family went upon our yearly search for the perfect Christmas tree. Finding just the right one is imperitive to the sucess for the rest of the holiday season, it is the event on which all future holiday events depend. After all, the Christmas tree sets the tone of your whole house for the holidays.

Last year, we had a beautiful tree. The idea was to go to the same tree farm but there was only one problem - I forgot the name of it. It was in an out of the way place and both my husband and I doubted our ability to find it again without the name. So, off to Plan B.

There is a farm that has all sorts of seasonal activities - berries in the summer, peaches and apples in the late summer early fall, pumpkins.... We realized that they also are a tree farm so we decided to give them a try. We didn't realize that it was one of those cut your own places, and let me just say that having spent most of our Christmas's together in the South - cutting our own tree down was a new experience for all of us!

They had rows and rows of absolutely gorgeous trees. Our most difficult decision was finding just the right one! But with time and effort, we finally found a tree that we all could agree on. It was the most perfectly symmetrical tree that I have ever seen and an absolutely beautiful shade of Emerald green. The smell of the tree is something that can only be described as divine - it is that crisp, clear scent of pine that permeates everything. It SMELLS like Christmas!

The moment of truth came and my husband had to cut down the tree. Well, in order to do so, he had to lay down on the ground. The other family that was in the field appeared to be having some difficulty with their tree, so we were all somewhat trepidatious about the cutting; however, we needen't have worried. In just a few short moments, my husband had quickly and expertly cut the tree. He was so good at it that my daughter told him he should consider a new career. ( I think she was just looking for something that would keep him home most of the time - wink, wink)

The farm workers then loaded our tree on the tractor and bundled it up for us while we enjoyed some fresh cocoa and christmas cookies in front of the fire at the farm house. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. We found the perfect tree and best of all, built lasting memories for our family.