O Tannenbaum

To help set the mood, I would like you to know that as I type this post I am listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's version on O Tannenbaum (Charlie Brown music) and looking out the window at 7-8 inches of beautiful fluffy snow on the ground.  We are snowed in and I am happy.  So get ready for multiple possible posts today.

Last weekend Cliff and I had a really festive Saturday.  We donated food to the local Mission, bought Christmas presents to support Small Business Saturday, and went to Northern Lights Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  This is our third visit to the farm but only our second tree purchase (as we couldn't fit a tree in our original Springfield dwelling back in 2007).

Tree prices ranged from $4.50/foot - $7.50/foot.  In the past, we have always selected the cheapest as we are pretty frugal people.  This year, we decided to go fancy.  We opted for a $7.50/food Nordman Fur as we were told that they were the best at holding heavy ornaments.  Plus they are beautiful.  They look like how Christmas trees are supposed to look.  Their color is nice and mossy green and their undersides are white with green lines.  Pretty cool.

I always forget how difficult it is to select a tree at a tree farm.  You walk down rows of trees upon trees.  They all look ok and it is hard to compare.  You size up the tree, note the pros and cons and then walk to the next trying your best to remember which one was more awesome.  In the end, I always feel bad when we select a tree as that means we are going to cut it down from its home.  That sounds a little Eugene crunchy...but it is true...I get a little emotional and feel guilty.  We counted the rings and our tree was (is) nine years old.

This year we picked a winner.  Fun Fact: Nordman Firs take a long time to cut down.  In the past it has been a two minute process and we are on our way.  This year it was like five-seven minutes of sawing away.  Also, we always forget to bring something to kneel on so Cliff always has to get his pants dirty.

 Once back at the barn, we asked them to shake the tree and bail it.  We normally don't opt for the $3 bailing service but this year like I said...we went fancy.  Plus we knew it would help us get the tree in the Honda Fit.

Which brings me to the fact that I love our car.  We picked a winner.  We fit a 6ft Christmas tree in it! The seats all fold independently so the tree got the right side of the car and Cliff and I got the left.  Oh and we buckled it up for safety.

We learned a very important lesson this year.  Always know the size of your tree stand before you leave the tree farm.  When we got home we found that our tree trunk grew slightly curved and it was too fat in some areas.  It didn't fit.  We currently do not own a saw so Cliff had to use a serrated kitchen knife to trim it up.  It took us, no kidding, 45 minutes to get the tree to fit and stand kinda straight.  We got the tree up and I decorated it while Cliff rowed (holiday challenge).  It looks beautiful.  However, it is a pain to water.  It is still really round so it is pretty difficult to find an area that allows for water to flow down into the well.  It requires two people and a flashlight.

The house is now decorated and it looks like Christmas threw up all over.  I am particularly happy this year as I found the red, green, and white warm round lights that we used to have when I was a kid.  I loved them and have been looking for years.  I bought them at Walmart the day after Halloween (yes, I was that girl).  Oh man, I love Christmas decorations.  Love.  Love. Love.