If you haven’t noticed yet, we are all about traditions around here, and one of our favorites is cutting down a Christmas tree.  Most of our traditions include spending time together.  Here’s the deal, B and I both work- a lot.  It’s the life of a business owner.  It’s not like you get to shut down at 5pm, or on the weekends.  No matter how much I try to clock out at a certain time, there is always something I end up having to do.  Add to that the fact that the kids are home with me all day, and I really have no choice but to work in chunks throughout the day- all day long.

Anyhow, I guess that’s why we are so hard core when it comes to traditions that involve spending time together.

Family tradition- cutting down a

Christmas tree

…and we will always make a special trip to cut it down.

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Since wild thing #1 was about 2, we started actually cutting down a Christmas tree. Before that, it was a quick trip to pick a tree from the tree lot, and bring it home.

It’s tradition.

The kids have grown to love this day.  They ask every year when they know it’s “that time” when we are going to the tree farm.  They bicker with each other all morning, and we ask ourselves why we are even bothering to go because they just don’t stop fighting.  Ever.  And then we get there and they stop fighting.  It’s a Christmas miracle, I’m sure.

It’s fun!

The place we go to actually get to cutting down a Christmas tree down has a horse drawn “carriage,” visits with Santa, and hot chocolate.  Obviously, you might find a place with less “extras”, but I’d imagine there are places all over the place if you look around. We have been to several places over the years. The last couple of years, we have gone to Flemings Tree Farm in Indiana, PA.  In case you’re not familiar with Indiana, it just so happens to be known as the “Christmas tree capital of the world.”

It forces us to clock out, and focus on each other for more than 30 minutes.

Cutting down a Christmas tree isn’t the only time we spend more than 30 minutes together, but it does offer up the perfect opportunity to do so.  When we went to a lot to get our tree, the whole process was quick, and not nearly as magical as going to cut it down ourselves.  The year wild thing #3 was born it was so cold out, and I refused to miss the experience because I love it so much.  I actually sat in the car while the big boys and B picked out a tree.  I watched them drag it up, and while I was a little sad to have missed walking out there with them, I was happy that #3 and I were part of the experience in our own way!

So many memories are made.

Every year, we try to find the perfect tree.  Some years are better than others.  One year, our tree was so fat it took up half of our living room–  not kidding.  We had couches that faced each other, if you sat on a certain spot of the couch, and someone sat on the other, you couldn’t see each other because of the tree.  We talk about that tree all the time.  One year, we had to walk through so much snow, we practically didn’t make it to the tree.  (Thank goodness there was only one wild thing that year!).  One year, wild thing #3 refused to let anyone choose the tree but him.  That meant we had to use reverse psychology on him so he thought he was the one that chose the tree.

Everybody has their reasons for choosing the tree they do.  No shaming here!  Regardless of whether you get a real tree, have an artificial tree, make a tradition of cutting down a Christmas tree, or going to a lot, I encourage you all to start traditions of your own.

Your turn- real tree, or artificial?

 

xoxo,
lorrin
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