Each year my husband takes the entire family on a tree hunting adventure and each year he endures complaints stories about how awful last year's tree was. He takes this ribbing in stride because he knows we secretly love these outings and the trees they produce. This year is no different. We have plenty of stories about the tree for next year.
On the Saturday before Christmas we pile in the tuck and head to the farm to look for a tree. We bounce through the pastures to check on the cows first, and then we head for the tree line and begin the search in earnest. He has done this since he was a child when they frequently looked for the tree on horseback. Over the years the supply of appropriate trees has diminished. Many have grown too big or too misshapen. Some are just too wispy and delicate. Last year after a lengthy search we cut a too big tree and took just the top home. It was the ugliest Christmas tree ever! And we loved it. We covered it with white lights, collected ornaments, and paper snowflakes covered with glitter. Every night when the lights were plugged in we recalled the day we went to find it and shared stories about past trees. One teenage visitor to our home actually remarked that he had never seen a tree you could see through before. The kids dubbed it the swamp tree.
This year, the tradition goes on. After a futile tree hunting trip to the farm, we didn't have a tree. Then, a look about town at the markets and tree lots, we still didn't have a tree. So, we took a ride into the country because there used to be a tree farm a few miles from town. We knew the folks that had moved here to start a tree farm had long since moved, but an artificial, evenly shaped, full tree is just not an option for a man who grew up cutting his own Christmas tree.
As we drove toward the tree farm we had hope! There were signs advertising it. Yes, they were a bit faded, but appeared at regular intervals, so we pressed on. When we arrived at the tree farm it was over grown and just a few cut trees were in the shelter to be sold. To our surprise, we were greeted by neighbors who, due to a delayed remodeling project, missed the "town trees".
The attendant assured us there were some good trees still in the field and encouraged us to just hop onto the trailer and he'd take us out there to find one. The neighbor wife looked as uncomfortable with this plan as I felt, so we invited her to ride in the car with us while her husband jumped in the cab of the pickup with the attendant. He warned us that the car would get scratched, but we assured him that was okay. As the farm truck spun around a corner and visions of flying bodies filled our minds, we were at peace with the decision to get a few scratches on the sides of the car.
The place was so overgrown; we despaired of ever finding a tree. Suddenly, the car stopped and a deal was made on a small, sad looking tree that was almost shaped right. My husband was not going home without a tree today! We waited for the neighbors to make their choice and headed home. The kids decorated it and the tradition is preserved for another year. An ugly tree is a badge of honor around here.
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