A REAL Christmas Tree

We went out and cut a Christmas tree today.  That is the way we always like to do it.  Take a nice long walk through the woods across snow covered fields looking for the perfect tree.  There are always many trees that look good from one side but then you walk around and you see how lopsided they are.  There is a real art to picking a tree.  Renee's criteria is simply that there is no bird's nest in it.  We  actually saw a couple of those.  We found a couple that were close to being what we wanted, but did not want to settle for one that was just good enough.  We walked on back to the next field looking for a better one.   It is so nice in the woods with a fresh coating of snow over everything.  

Sarah and Alex went with us looking for the tree.  We had a good time looking.  Finally we found the one that was just right for us.  I pulled out a tape measure (I learned long ago they are much bigger than they look when they are outdoors.)  Yes, this tree would do.  Sarah held the tree while I cut it off at ground level.   Then Alex pulled it back through the fields to the car.  We loaded it in the trunk and tied the lid down.  What a pleasant time it was.

When we got home Alex and I put it in the stand and now have it standing in a corner in the Family room.   We will decorate it later, Renee will fix some hot chocolate, we will have some cookies and put the decorations on it.  The smell of evergreen is permeating the room already.  There is nothing like a real Christmas tree, the artificial ones may look nicer, but there is just something about the tree you picked out, cut down and hauled out on your own.