| Monday, December 05, 2005 |
| Definitely one of my favorite days of the year |
5 years ago or so Mark introduced me to a new holiday tradition when we took our first trip to a Christmas tree farm waaaay up yonder in the mountains. Last year we were delighted to discover a Fraser fir farm on the other side of Asheville, and took Cole for his first [very muddy] adventure there, with the promise to return again this year (and the knowledge that we'd probably be introducing a new little someone to their very first Christmas as well.) So this past Saturday we loaded up the van and somehow managed to arrive at the farm early enough -- which is amazing, considering that getting anywhere early is a miracle for us right now with the 2 kiddos -- to beat the rush and immediately catch a hayride from the parking area to the stand of trees. I imagine that some of you may think it silly to pay the same price for a tree we pick out, cut down, and carry down the mountain ourselves, but really, it's FUN!
That being said, I think you can probably tell from the first photo that one of the occasional problems with living in the mountains is a shortage of flat land. Which means that the trees grow on the sides of the mountains. Which means that when we got off of the hayride, we had to crane our necks up, up, up, in order to survey our tree choices. Considering that Mark was loaded down with a 38+ pounder and saw, and I had a 16-pounder strapped to my front, I don't think it was very long into our uphill adventure before Mark and I looked at each in silent agreement and thought, "hmmm, maybe we don't really need a 6-7 footer this year. I think I could settle for this smaller version right here." And settle we did, for a slightly shorter tree, which Cole "helped" Mark cut down and carry.
When we got back to the base of the mountain we thought we'd give Cole the chance to talk to Santa. Except Cole had decided at this point that he would really rather not see or talk to Santa, which I believe this really lovely photo illustrates quite well. 
It was probably just as well, though, because this "imposter" seemed to deviate from the whole Santa script a bit. For instance, did you know Santa owned a beagle? A deaf beagle, apparently. Is there not some Santa code of ethics they should adhere to?
Anyway, after leaving the farm, I made Mark stop so that I could take photos of these cute little white clapboard churches on the drive home (just guess how much Mark enjoyed those stops! If this photo were larger you could probably see him laughing at me through the window.)
Despite Mark's forgetting that the tree was still strapped to the roof of the van when he pulled into the garage (but whew!! it fit!) we managed to make it home in one piece. After putting the babes down for naps (peace and quiet!) we started the decorating process. I just love the way it all takes shape and changes the entire mood of the house! Plus, our living room is very condusive to Christmas, considering that its design features sage green walls with red decor accents. How convenient is that?! By the time that Cole woke up from his nap the whole living room had been transformed, and there was a log burning in the fireplace, a medley of Christmas carols in the CD player, and a decorated tree glowing in the corner of the room.
Which brings me to my favorite part -- seeing the magic, cozy glow of Christmas on these two faces, remembering that same feeling of awe from when I was a child, and knowing that the love, peace, hope, joy, and anticipation of the season is all ahead of us. |
posted by Joanna Bolick @ 5:35 PM  |
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| 18 Comments: |
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Joanna,
We are in Flat Rock and always go up to Boone/Linville Falls to get our tree, outside of Asheville sounds much better! What's the name of the farm, do you remember?
Thanks,
Michelle
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Wow....great pictures of your kiddos by the tree....must be fun picking out your own tree....
us...we have artificial...same ol' tree every year...but equally as nice...
looks great!
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I feel all warm and cozy just reading your post! DH did the same thing with our tree (drove our van into the garage with it on top). Good thing we also didn't have a huge tree and it cleared with room to spare! :)
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Wow, what an awesome experience! Your tree is beautiful!
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love those photos of the kiddos by the tree. :) and i must agree, nothing like going out to get your own tree.
too bad thomas has knocked ours down every year thus far - we're still waiting for this year's catastrophe. but then again, andy did nail the tree to the floor this year...
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Wow, the story and the pictures brought tears to my eyes! What a wonderful experience for Cole and Harper and you and Mark as parents to bask in their delight at Christmas! Thanks for sharing!
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You know, that story is a little nicer than ours... going out to the garage, getting the fakey off the rafters and lugging it down while we think about swearing. GREAT pics I need to do some like that.zzzzz The Z's were from Spencer.
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Oh I love it! Those pics are just priceless. Christmas is SO much more wonderful when you have little ones to enjoy it with.
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Beautiful post, Joanna--the pics and your words! We just picked up our tree this weekend too (my first time picking out a "real" tree) so I am with you on the excitement! I am so in love with that tree...I know I won't be able to take it down!
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how fun Joanna! What a beautiful spot!
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How fun! We started cutting down our tree last year and I just love it so much more than walking in to the lot at Home Depot :) Love the tree pictures with the kids too...so sweet :)
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I grew up in Hendersonville and my father always took my sister and I hunting for the perfect Christmas tree. It's such a great tradition. After Christmas we planted the trees along the border of our yard together, yet another great tradition. Now that I live in Phoenix I totally miss that.
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How fun Joanna! Too funny though on the settling for a shorter tree with all your little ones! Great pictures too! ;) I can't wait to decorate for Christmas next year when we VOW to stay home finally! ;)
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Just beautiful Joanna.
Love those photos of the kids with the Christmas lights.
I've yet to attempt the 'cut down your own tree' ritual. I'm all about Home Depot! We need to get there soon. It doesn't feel like Christmas until the tree is up.
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LOVE those photos! I love the outdoor lights Mark just put up on your house and I bet the tree is gorgeous :)
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What fun, Joanna! I love the pic of Cole with the Christmas tree at the farm...such a cute expression. :-)
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Santa and the deaf beagle ... bahahaha!!! :D
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Joanna,
We are in Flat Rock and always go up to Boone/Linville Falls to get our tree, outside of Asheville sounds much better! What's the name of the farm, do you remember?
Thanks,
Michelle