Inspired by Frank at Dutch goes the Photo. The prompt: Outdoors
Outdoors…
Where my family of 4 played, walked, explored, planted, vacationed and amassed countless memories.
We also discovered…it was the only place where you could carefully pick out a Christmas tree.
From many tree options.
And cut it down yourself.
For 28 years we piled into the car and drove the few miles to a local Christmas tree farm. Usually in early December. In later years, when the kids were in college, we went the weekend after Thanksgiving – so they could both participate.
It began with just my husband and me. Then with our daughter. Five years later our son completed the family group. His first visit, at age 4 weeks, was in a front pack I wore close to my chest.
Up and down the paths we’d search. The kids running ahead. Often in different directions (hence no photos from those years)…Here’s one! No, here’s one! Look I found it! What about THIS one?
We hunted for just the right tree. Tall, but not too tall. Wide, but not too wide. No big gaps (or gapes as they used to giggle) between the branches. We also learned to avoid the blue spruces with their prickly needles. Sometimes it took a while for nature to cooperate with our requirements. And often there was snow to tromp through…adding to the adventure and challenge.
We’d agree – finally – on the perfect (or near perfect) choice. Cut it down. Carefully tie it to the roof of the station wagon. And bring it home.
If we weren’t buying it that day, we attached a tag with our name written on it to the top branch. Nearer to December 25th, we’d return – with our handsaw. And hopefully remember where our tagged tree was!
Once our children stopped coming home for Thanksgiving to participate in the weekend tree tagging, this tradition came to its natural end in 2009 – our last family trip to the tree farm.
one letter UP ~ diary 2.0 
I’m glad you and yours have such wonderful memories of those special years! You mentioned a Station Wagon – it’s been a good while since I last had a ride in one, fun memories. I saw an old Buick Roadmaster Wagon a while back in town. Big!
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Thank you! Our station wagon even had a third seat that faced backwards!
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That’s the model I remember! It was a Pontiac, mt dad, cousin and uncles took it on a ride from Michigan to Tennessee around 1970 I think, to hunt Wild Boar deep in the mountains. Dennis and I rode facing backwards down I-75 for a looong way! Fun memories. A few weeks later, some so-and-so stole the car from my folks’ garage. The police found it a few days later in a swamp, stripped of parts. That still makes me angry…
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Ours was a Chevy Celebrity and then a Ford Taurus. The 3rd seat was popular until our kids were full grown.
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Got kinda cramped aye! Darn kids, they just gotta grow up… 😉
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What a wonderful family tradition. Sure you had great fun!
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Thank you! Yes we did 😊
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Such sweet memories! I wonder if they will start a similar tradition when they have families of their own! When we lived in the Yukon we’d trudge through waist deep snow, at times, to find the perfect Charlie Brown tree, thanks for bringing back those memories.
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So far they are city dwellers, so time will tell! Waist deep snow…wow – that was a challenge 🙂 but worth it I’ll bet.
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Definitely worth it!
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