Christmas tree hunts have been a big part of the season’s appeal for me, from urban hunts to shunting through the woods with shotguns or snowshoeing in search of the perfect tree. My wife and I made the hunt a much-expected family event.
About two years ago, it became too expensive and too crowded in the woodlots. The crowds seemed rude, on a reckless spree, and the price skyrocketed. It was time for a different format for our search for the tree. A final factor was that the family was getting older. It took more work to schedule everyone to a specific date or time.
We looked at smaller trees that we could grow in a tub, brought in at Christmas, and returned to a sheltered outdoor home afterward. We found a tree we liked at a fraction of the cost of the market rate cut-your-own tree. This will be our little tree’s second year.
We will not miss rude crowds or escalating prices. We won’t miss the early closures. The woodlots are cut bare the day following Thanksgiving. And sometimes, the stacked trees at nurseries resemble sticks. But we will miss our family ritual, which always included a madcap snowball fight and retelling of previous years’ exploits.
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There were no live trees to be found this year. With the decline of those Christmas Tree Farms, they are becoming harder to get. I like the idea of growing the tree in a tub and having that connection to it over several years.
This is year two; we’ll see how it goes over time. And a very Merry Christmas to you, Heather!
Merry Christmas!
When I had a tree, it was always a tiny live one from the supermarket and it went into the ground. It was great. One even won a prize in the town decoration contest. It was a sweet moment. After looking at all the decorated houses, the judges came to my house. Saw the little tree in the window, all lit. They came in and stood around my dining room table where the tree was. The stood in something I might call silent reverence. It was pretty magical to watch. Now my “tree” is a handful of significant ornaments. https://marthakennedy.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/414048523_3652823738272619_1840532961491509305_n.jpg
I think the car approves the Christmas Tree. May I keep this picture? So cute. Merry Christmas to you and yours.