Christmas tree farms (making memories that matter)

Christmas tree farms (making memories that matter)

On a bitter, cold day last week our family went to the Christmas tree farm.

We bundled up and headed out to make memories.

Excitement reigned as we eagerly scanned the horizon. Intent on finding the perfect tree before the sun went down.

We had a goal–to follow our nose to the right tree. This particular farm had a variety to choose from. None of them familiar to us by name.

We were used to Pine trees on the West coast. Here, they had Fir trees: Niko, Korean, Concolor, Fraser, Noble, Grand and Canaan but no Douglas. Spruce trees: White, Norway and Colorado Blue. Pines? Scotch and White but no Monterrey.

The smell of pine needles, spruce and the smell of a Christmas tree – those to me, are the scents of the holidays.–Blake Lively

So we enthusiastically set out on a hunt to explore these new textures and smells.

It was beautiful and serene.

I purposely lagged behind a bit. Willing my memory to absorb every detail of this adventure. Amazed that my girls still delighted in this simple pleasure in their mid and late teens.

Observing as they laughed and chatted with their Daddy.

Arguing with good humor over what made a perfect tree anyway. I think one of them would have gladly carried home the Charlie Brown offering with tenderness.

I participated, of course. But I also allowed myself the joy of just appreciating what I was seeing and hearing.

Making memories.

Christmas tree farm monsters

When I was a very young girl, we started our family tradition of this very hunt.

In California, the Christmas tree farms allowed you to come weeks in advance and choose your tree. Carefully tagging it to come retrieve closer to the holiday.

Aside from Christmas itself, this was a favorite day in my young life. Every year I would be giddy over knowing it was the day. When dad got home, we’d all head out. Where we lived, the farms were built into the foothills, the rows each higher than the last.

One year my dad decided to play a practical joke on me.

Hunkered down on the lower row, he waited for me to walk by and grabbed my ankle from under the tree cover.

I am sure I screamed. Loudly.

I was positive, absolutely sure, that a monster had finally caught me. Just a guess, but I bet my mom didn’t think it was funny either.

It has become the stuff of legend in our family memory. Surely my dad’s version is slightly less dramatic than the vivid fright of a young girl’s imagination.

The story is pretty funny. Now.

My eyes do naturally shift from side to side in each row, just in case. My dear husband has been known to be quite the prankster himself.

“The Christmas tree is a symbol of love, not money. There’s a kind of glory to them when they’re all lit up that exceeds anything all the money in the world could buy.” – Andy Rooney

Enduring Christmas tree traditions

When we go back to visit our CA family, we generally still do a tree farm. As a Grandpa, my dad would never do that to his girls. Hmphh. And neither would their Daddy.

This is the first year we’ve done it here. Making memories is of prime importance to us.

And we are so thankful for the chance to carry on that tradition.

Still, sometimes, on the rows with a bit of elevation? There is some saucy part of me that puts the reasonable protective mom hat in my pocket, as I search for a spot that maybe I can surprise those big girls.

So far, reason and personal experience has kept me in line.

My dad didn’t just give me a monstrous memory though, he passed on a great sense of humor too. Luckily, my mom passed on the good mom gene that keeps me in check.

But it still makes me smile.

The power of a memory…

“Our task is to stand tall in God’s love, secure in our place, sparkling in kindness, surrounded by his goodness, freely giving to all who come our way. You, me, and the Christmas tree. Picked, purchased, and pruned.” – Max Lucado

Do you enjoy Christmas trees?  Do you prefer a lot, a farm or a forest?

Christmas Resources to encourage you:

• One of our favorite movies –Christmas With The Kranks
• God Hears Her, A Joyful Christmas: 31 Morning and Evening Devotions
• National Tree Company Pre-Lit ‘Feel Real’ Artificial Full Christmas Tree
• The Great Christmas Bowl
• Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas: Slow Down, Save Money & Enjoy a More Intentional Holiday
• Our Christmas Story: A Modern Christmas Memory Book 
• Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus
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