o christmas tree :: family

"o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging

not only green when summer's here

but also when tis cold and drear

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging"

 

 

Every year (OK, not every but almost every) we head out to get a tree usually going to a local u-cut lot to pick out the best manicured, hand raised specimen for our living room.  There was a year we hung bows from our windows, much to our children's dismay.  Then there was the time a couple years ago we made the horrible mistake of a trip to the mountains for a tree due to the encouragement of our oldest.  This year we didn't let her persuade us and we loaded up into the truck to head to Hubert's Tree Farm in Seabeck, Wa.  We had gone there years before and had good luck so we thought we would try again. We met up with my parents and headed that way, each in our own truck.  Of course as soon as we arrived out there the rain was falling full force.  After driving around to the different areas of trees, we came to a stop at a Noble area and all bundled up, including my dad with a garbage sack wrapped around his casted foot, began to tromp around looking for the perfect one.  My mother is quite partial to Nobles and it didn't take her much time at all to find the just right one.  We loaded it into their truck and then headed to the Grand Fir area to look for the perfect one for us.  I was determined to have a "full" tree and we traipsed around for what the girls will exclaim as being "forever" but was really no more than 10 minutes and finally came upon the perfect tree.  It really was a successful and not to horrendous of an experience.  We then headed to our respective homes (sending the girls with my parents for a day of hanging at their house) and after dropping our tree off, Christmas shopping we went. 

 

 

 a group effort to get the perfect noble for mom & dad's house.

 

 

 finally found the just right one for our living room - yes, a little tall but perfectly narrow!

 

 

robb and ellie grab and away we go.  olyvia exclaimed she was WAY to cold to assist. 

 robb making sure the tree was fully shaken of its dead needles . . . later proved to be unsuccessful.

 

 

UPDATE:  Massive needle loss in less than 10 days without the tree actually being dead and we were on to tree no. 2. Solved by undecorating, quick trip to Central Market and redecorating.  Hoping this second one will make the cut and last until Christmas.