Sunday, December 09, 2007

Christmas Tree Time

So... Today was the day to get the Christmas tree! We have always cut down our own tree as the store bought artificial ones were never realistic enough for us and the store bought live one's were too dry and died too soon. I was once too lazy pressed for time and bought an almost dead a live precut tree from the nearest tree lot. Well... the family was not amused as the evidence of my misdoings were all over the carpet the following morning! How was I to know that all the needles were to fall in under 24 hours?!? So, I quickly learned my lesson and since then, have headed out to the fields to but a real live uncut one!

This year was no exception.

This morning, we departed with saw in hand and headed to our favorite lot. When we got there, the car lot was almost full to the hilt and we knew right there and then that locating that perfect 2.4 metre (8 foot for the metrically challanged!) tree would be a challenge in itself.

But success prevailed!

As we looked over the vast field of trees, I discovered that there was a small lot hidden behind the "Do Not Cut These Trees" lot and headed towards it hoping no one would notice. Ducking under the rope, we stealthly made our way in search of the elusive scotch pine. In no time, we selected the tree of our dreams and proceeded to cut it down. A word to the wise ... Always have someone hold the tree as you crawl under it to cut it down! After crawling out from under the tree after it collapsed on top of me, we dragged its sorry trunk a quarter mile to the bagging station. Putting down $40 (Yikes!) we loaded it onto the car and headed home.

So ... We got our tree with little or no fanfare.


Later on today, I will bring the tree into the house and stick it in the corner. It is now the job of the family to trim it with the decorations. This part is not for me as every year I touch the needles without gloves I break out in this terrible rash... At least that is what I tell the family! Besides... they love doing it anyways!



Cheers!

5 comments:

Janice Thomson said...

I have a fake tree because 1) I can't cut a tree down - it would feel like I'm killing something and 2) because I really do get a rash from handling them! I remember as a kid we always packed a picnic and hot chocolate and every Christmas went to the woods to find a tree.

josie2shoes said...

Can't wait to see it out of the bag and all decorated! I've never had the change to chop down a live Christmas tree, but it sounds like a lot of fun to me, except the tree falling on you part! :-)

Cheryl said...

Nice tradition cutting down your own tree. It seems like that's the easy part. Lights? Decorations? The real work. I love my artificial tree and I use wonderfully scented candles for the smell. I always feel sorry for the tree lots with all their leftover trees. It just got too expensive. The trees I liked were over $75.

heiresschild said...

i miss those family times decorating the tree together. i'm of the chanllenged one; thanx for breaking down the metric weight.

David Kim said...

That's cool you get to cut down trees in Canada. They don't allow people to cut trees in L.A. We barely have any trees left.