On the Hunt for the Perfect Christmas Tree

I'm pretty sure I've said this already, but it's worth saying again: one thing I adore about my husband is the sense of tradition that he's brought into my life. We are in our THIRD year of marriage (unbelievable - where has the time gone?), and therefore went on our third Christmas Tree adventure. I had gone once or twice with his family while we dated, but there's something extra special about going as a couple.

Our new addition was bringing our 1.5-year old puppy, Chip. Still full of energy, he gave us a challenge while we walked around. But the important thing is that this adventure wore him out (and gave us our workout for the day in return)! It was fun to see Chip weaving in and out of rows of Christmas trees, and equally fun to throw out my worries about my car getting muddy or scratched. While I believe in the importance of taking care of your belongings, sometimes you have to let your guard down in order to make important memories. Plus, my car has been in desperate need of a detailing since we got back from our Florida vacation in June.

Anyway. Every first weekend in December, I can count on us 1) going to get our Christmas tree, 2) pulling down the decorations and lights from our attic, and 3) watching Christmas movies while we hang, light, and plug in all of our Christmas stuff. It puts me in an especially festive mood, and sets me up for listening to all the Christmas music and drinking all the hot chocolate and eggnog.

So, this year, just like in years prior, we went to our Christmas tree farm of choice - a small little plot in front of someone's house on the edge of a mountain - and we walked. We found the one we ended up picking right at the beginning, but just to be sure, we walked another mile and a half around the place. We ended up going with a Silver Fir for the second year in a row. He's about six feet tall, with full branches, and an amazing smell. Our trees in the past have been on the shorter and fatter side. We have limited space in our tiny little house, and wanted to find one a little bit more on the taller and thinner end of the spectrum. In the end, we went with slightly taller, but still a little more round, but he's perfect.

Nothing beats real trees. I overheard my coworkers talking last week about fake trees versus real trees, and to me, real trees are worth the money every time. In the long run, yes, fake trees will save you a lot of money. But remember what I said about making important memories? To me, real trees are worth the cost. They're worth teaching your kids about keeping your tree hydrated so it lives as long as it can, about walking through mud to find the right one and hearing their tiny voices yell, "Timber!" as you cut it down. They're worth bringing it home, setting it up, and hanging your cherished ornaments on its branches while laughing at your favorite lines from Elf or A Christmas Story. They're worth making a day of it. And I'll choose real trees every time (also because while you do find some bugs on your real tree, it doesn't compare to pulling a fake tree out of storage to find it infested with stinkbugs - that's another story for another time though).

For the rest of the year, I don't have many posts planned. I'll have my year-end wrap-up, as always, and maybe a post or two about holiday baking, but no promises. I hope you have an amazing, warm, fulfilling Holiday season. Squeeze your loved ones tight, and count your blessings. Remember, it's quality (time) over quantity, and every happy, smiling moment with family is worth more than what's sitting wrapped under that beautiful, real tree in your living room.

With love.

(Please take a moment to laugh at the fact that all those little specks on Chip is from him shoving his face into the tree and getting glitter all over himself from ornaments. Haha - this has happened every day since putting it up.)