Traditional Family Christmas

When we were invited to go cut down our own Christmas tree Katie and I both had images of a large field with a selection of perfect tree to choose from.  The reality is that we had to go off the road and down the mountain.  We walked through fallen branches, trees, hidden holes, and a stream in order to find the perfect tree.  Fortunately for me Shaun Patterson was there to do the hard work.  If he hadn't been there a tree would have been cut down in vain and left at the bottom of the ravine and Katie and I would have a tree from the Nature Company sitting in our living room.

When we arrived at the road it was steep and marked with rocks and holes.  I joked with Katie that we should take a picture and we will tell the parents that we drove the Highlander through the mess.  That sufficiently freaks out Mom.  

Well, after we walked for a while we realized that walking the tree down to the car wasn't an option so I returned to the car and did what I originally joked about.  I must admit the Highlander handled the terrain as naturally as a llama in the Andes.

The best part of the drive was the way down.  I skillfully executed  a multi-point turn in order to get the car turned in the correct direction.  I was relieved that I didn't dump the car down the ravine.  As I was descending the mountain I was met by two big Dodge trucks.  when Dad taught me to drive in reverse I thought I would only have to go reverse to pick-up Sister Bills in the church parking lot.  I didn't realize I would use the skill to drive in reverse up a narrow mountain road until I came to a spot with a shallow grade that I could drive up, in reverse mind you, in order to get out of the way of two big trucks.  When all was done all Katie could say is, "You were way to close to the edge."

Tommy loved the whole adventure.  He literally ran up and down the mountain.  He talked the entire time.  He was fascinated by what kind of forest we were in.  He kept asking, "Is this a rain forest or a snowy mountain?"

It looked smaller when it was in its natural habitat.  The tree is standing 11 feet tall.  We sawed off two feet giving us a tree that will reach to the ceiling.  The tree doesn't look too bad right here.  Once we put ornaments on it it should be beautiful.

My ornaments making the tree beautiful theory was proven wrong.

After all that work we got a Christmas tree even Charlie Brown would be proud of.  The trunk was too narrow so when I put it on our tree stand it split so the tree leans a little.  The branches are too weak to hold up ornaments so we get the joy of putting them back on when they fall off.  It doesn't have the nice "V" shape that you would expect out of a tree but it is our tree and we love it.