O Tannenbaum

I love Christmas trees. Real trees. You know, the kind that grow outside...and then finding the perfect one, chopping it down in its prime and then bringing it inside and decorating it and then it makes your house smell divine?? This, my friends, is one of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions. None of this fake tree business...fake trees just don't cut it for me. I love supporting local growers too and no, the needles don't bother me--even when they are all over the floor...I hope to be 80 and still choppin' 'em:) Last year, while 9 months pregnant and ready to pop at any moment, I clomped around the forest in about 18 inches of rock-hard snow looking for the perfect tree, and I'm pretty sure I slipped and fell on my bum 3 times...this year, with no snow and being slightly less pregnant, it was much easier:) We actually chopped ours down in Illinois this past weekend at Williams Tree Farm---a fantastic place with tons of animals to see (donkey, reindeer, peacock, camel, pig, goats:) and very friendly dogs, which Freya and Jonas adored; they also had a zip line and wagon rides, pulled by gorgeous Clydesdale horses (also a favorite of mine)...it was a really fun family day.
We decided to go with a shorter tree this year just in case our little dare-devil of a daughter decides to pull any tricks (knocking it over, climbing it, etc.) At least shorter trees have less far to fall:) White lights, cranberry beads, and an assortment of the not-as-breakable-ornaments adorn our tree this year with a nice big yellow star on top. Yay for traditions. It feels so good to be sharing such a sweet one with my children, one that they will treasure through their childhood and then pass on to their children someday. Merry Christmas Everyone! And, now, let the cookie-baking begin:) Yum!