You know those fake Christmas trees most families buy and
use every year in their home? The ones that don’t have real pine needles, the lights are
already strung on the branches and the shape never changes. What’s the fun of
having the same Christmas tree every year?
My family has a tradition each year on Black Friday. We
refuse to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, so the day after
seems like the perfect time! Our tradition is to visit a tree farm on the edge
of town to search for a unique tree, cut it down and take it home to decorate.
These trees have real pine needles, you get to string the lights on the
branches and there are so many choices. My family always choose a unique shape because we believe in finding the beauty
in the imperfections.
Our trees are not usually the perfect shape. There aren’t
always an abundance of pine needles. It might have a few bare spots and a
unique point on top, presenting a challenge for the star placement. Instead of
finding the “perfect tree”, we look for the imperfect tree that has character.
When our family comes to visit on Christmas, they love to see what our tree
looks like and what unique aspects attracted our attention.
I love this tradition because we are the family that chooses
the trees no one else would. We cut down the trees that would normally be
overlooked or called ugly. Once we’ve cut down the tree and decorated it, my
family proves that even the ugliest tree can be beautiful with the proper care.
This tradition might seem a little crazy to most, but I can’t
imagine having a fake tree in our house on Christmas. I love finding a unique
tree, the smell of pine needles in the house, the mess of pine needles on the
carpet and the challenge of making a unique tree look beautiful. I can’t wait
to find our tree this year!
My family does the same thing. We usually decorate on black friday or the weekend after Thanksgiving. I'm usually not involved in the selection of the tree (that's my sister's thing) but I will say there is something unique about having a different tree every year. Besides the pine needles getting everywhere, it's usually very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteHannah,
ReplyDeleteMy family is one of those families that puts up the same fake tree every year, and I have never experienced what it is like to go cut down a real one. Even though putting up our fake Christmas tree is something I have grown up with and become accustomed to, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to pick out a real one. Your blog post kind of helps put it in perspective about what the experience might be like! Some day when I have my own family I want to try picking out a real tree at least once, just for the experience! Sounds like you guys have fun every year!