Christmas Tree hunting has become a tradition in our home and every year I find myself asking the same question, “Should we just purchase a fake tree?”. I mean, the money we could potentially save by not purchasing a real tree is a beautiful thing. One could even argue that the time we would save by just opening a box and unfolding branches is worth it, alone. However, as I contemplated making the purchase, and trust me…I almost hit “purchase” a few times, I was reminded of the times when it was just Andy and myself on our very first Christmas and how I MAY have purchased a tree that was a LITTLE too big for our quaint condo 😉 Not to mention, it was three flights of carpeted stairs up to the family room…yeah…my wonderful husband refused to vacuum the needles AGAIN and burned all the branches in our fireplace instead. Yeah. He was husband of the year right off the bat! Love that man. He wanted to please his new bride with her desire to begin a tradition. Ah, yes, tradition. From walking around the Chesapeake’s Bounty tree lot, to the hot apple cider, from the back and forth of deciding which tree is “the one”, and hearing the older kids reminisce of tree hunting past, it’s worth it. The smiles like the ones of my youngest when he is foraging to find a few branches and pine cones as souvenirs or the ones of my oldest as she talks with her dad about “remember whens” glow with happiness. These types of moments and feelings are able to warm you on the chilliest of days and I am happy to pay the price. As a dear friend put it, “We’re looking for the tree that speaks Christmas to us.” It’s true. It’s a tradition I’m not willing to give up just yet and although we may have to pay for it every year, the many memories tree hunting day has brought us are truly priceless.

Happy Tree Hunting!!