Christmas Tree Hunting

When I was a kids we grew up in California.  There aren't as many Christmas tree farms in California as there are in Oregon.  In California you would drive up to the Kmart parking lot, wander around and pick out a tree.  If my parents had their way the tree was probably still wrapped up and we would just pick one where the base looked straight and it was a good height.

Now that I'm older I want to have the experience (for myself and my kids) of picking out a tree and chopping it down.  What this means for my family is that we dredge ourselves out through a muddy (and once snowy) field to find a good Christmas tree.  Once we find a good one we promise ourselves we will remember where it is but keep looking to see if we can find a better one.  We almost never do so we go back to where we thought we found the first tree we liked only to find that it seems to have been moved.  After we finally settle on a tree for sure then my husband has to kneel down in the mud underneath the tree with a borrowed hand saw thingy and try to chop down the tree while holding onto it so it doesn't land on his back.  By this time the kids are cold and miserable so I have to hold all three of them to keep them happy.  Yes, this version is slightly exaggerated but it's still quite comical.

Finding and cutting down your own Christmas tree can really be a lot of fun but there are a few things that we have learned over the years that could have really helped out along the way.  I will share those with you here:

1. Remember it does actually get dark at 5pm now.  If you show up at the Christmas tree lot at 4:30 pm, you are going to get stuck using your headlights to try and find a tree.

2. Bring some extra clothes, hats, gloves, and blankets to bundle the kids up;

3. Garbage bags are extremely helpful to put all of the muddy stuff in afterwards.

4.  Bring twine or something you can tie down the tree with.  Most places have it available but just in case it's much better than having to cut your tree and leave it there while you drive to Home Depot.

5. Having your own saw is also a good idea.  Again, this is something most Christmas tree lots have on hand but it's better to be prepared.

6.  Use something to mark your tree if you find one you are considering.  Many places will have something like this or you can use a piece of twine but this will prevent you from having to find the perfect Christmas tree twice.  Also, you should remove the twine from a tree if you decide it's not the right one so that someone else doesn't think it's still taken.

7.  Bring cash because sometimes all the tree lots have are a cash box and you can make change but they do not accept cards.

8.  Know where the closest coffee shop is so you can grab hot chocolate for everyone who is cold and cranky at the end of your Christmas tree adventure.