tradition

We are a live Christmas tree family. It is in my blood. For as long as I can remember my family has gone out the first Saturday of December and hunted the perfect tree. Rain or shine, snow or sleet... we've cut trees in them all. We've been to farms that were more like forests and ones with perfect rows. We've brought our saws and cut our own, hauling them from deep in the woods and we've even been to places where the employees drive around in tree-hauling golf carts and cut your tree for you with a chain saw. There is so much to love about cutting your own tree- the fresh air, the hunt, the long drive through the country, time with family and friends, the memories our children will take with them and hopefully carry on the tradition.

Things have changed over the years as families have grown and moved.  Ten years ago we were still meeting for breakfast at my parents house on that first Saturday in December, and not just our family but our friends too.  It was not unusual for the to be close to 100 people there.  And after we had eaten and fellowshiped, most of us would pile into our cars and caravan out to the farm.  My mom and sister spent countless hours hunting down the perfect farm each year, not to mention all the amazing food my mom would prepare!  And after we all found the perfect tree?  Well, we would gather again at the farm or a nearby park to toss the football and eat a lunch of Sloppy Joes, chips and homemade cookies. Those were fun time!

We moved away 6 years ago, and I tried to recreate this family tradition here in S VA only to find that Christmas trees don't grown here.  So, after one year of attempting to cut a local tree (The farm we went to tried to pass off as Leland Cypress as a Christmas tree!) and two years of Home Depot trees we decided to start a new Christmas tree tradition.  One in which we go all the way to N MD to cut our tree with my family and haul it back to S VA! Actually, we don't go just for the tree, we just make it apart of the post Thanksgiving weekend events :)


So that brings us to this years Christmas tree... We headed to the farm with just my parents this year.

Everyone got a chance to help cut down our tree.

It is impossible to get a shot where everyone is looking and no one is making a silly face!

We got home on Monday and the first thing we did was put the tree up.  We decorated Tuesday and Wedesday...

The kids even made some of their own ornaments :)

What kind of Christmas traditions do you have?