Getting the Trees

Before we could get the tree, Dr. Peds had to dig out the van from a snowbank in our driveway.

We knew it was going to be cold; the temperature was well below zero, and of course there is several feet of snow on the ground to navigate through, so we prepared!  We donned layers and layers of clothes, and in the end, it wasn’t too bad!  The only part of me that got really cold was my feet, and granted, by the end, they were quite numb, but it was a small price to pay for a beautiful day in the frosty, snow covered woods.

One of those trees in the top image was our first Christmas tree.  We headed down a cross country ski trail because it was groomed and much easier for little Mr. Trouble on Feet to navigate.  Mr. Trouble on Feet was all about getting the trees!  He was so excited, and he savored every moment.  The kid really, really had a good time.  The only thing that disappointed him is that his Papa from North Dakota didn’t turn up to share a bowl of chili like last year.

There was so much snow on the trees that it was hard to determine which tree to cut.  We managed to luck out and cut one good tree, and one tree ended up to be very sparse when all the snow was shaken off.  We think the second tree lost a few branches when it fell, actually.  Because it was so cold, things snapped off more this year.

There was, of course, bits of family drama here and there:  snow pants that were the wrong color, mittens that wouldn’t be shared, mittens that didn’t work well, that kind of thing.  Overall though, getting the tree was still a whole lot of fun even though it was bone chillingly cold, the kind of cold that freezes your breath, frosting over strands of hair that escape out your hat, the kind of cold that makes snow crunchy and squeaky.

The Banana took a turn with the saw.

Mr. Trouble on Feet was completely fascinated with the saw.  He absolutely loved running it.  Of course, he sawed more snow than tree until Dr. Peds came along and gave him a helping hand.  He was incredibly thrilled when they made it through the trunk, and insisted on carrying the saw all the way out of the woods by himself.  

We actually ended up getting three trees from the forest.  It was kind of my plan all along to have the usual two big trees in the living room and playroom, and then maybe a small tree in the dining room stuck into a metal bucket.  I didn’t know how that would all work out, given the temperatures and the quest of transporting the trees back home.  While we were sawing down the second, sparse tree, a family cut down a different tree nearby, and stuck a tree top they had previously sawed down in a snowbank about thirty feet away from where we were standing.  The tree top had a lot of character (I think they just wanted a bigger one) so after they left, I snatched it right out of the snowbank.  The Banana was happy to carry it out of the woods for me.  It’s a cute little thing.

Waste not:  Dr. Peds always chops down the trunk to bring home for firewood.  

This boy just LOVES Christmas trees.  He loves cutting them down.  He loves putting them up inside.  He loves decorating them.  He and Mr. SP picked out this table top tree for my bedroom and he had a great time carrying it.  ALL BY HIMSELF.  He thinks next year we should get even more trees to bring home.  I think Dr. Peds will effectively put the kibosh on that!  My good natured husband does have limits I think.

Mr. Trouble on Feet was, of course also a fan of eating cookies, drinking cocoa and warming up by the fire while Dr. Peds loaded the trees on top of the van.

This year we were interviewed by a newspaper reporter for the News Tribune.  Mr. TOF’s picture was in the Sunday paper, and Dr. Peds was quoted in the article, so now we are famous tree cutters!