Traditions

One of our family traditions is to cut down our Christmas tree on the Friday following Thanksgiving.  We trek, although it's less of a trek now that we live further from the city, to a place called Z's Trees in Waconia.  After parking we ride the hay wagon out to the field of trees and search for the perfect one!

Quickly after getting off the wagon I found one that struck my fancy.  It was a little less traditional because it was a lime-ish color.  B-real was not sold and felt like we should walk around a little more before making a decision.

We have a hankering for things in the small variety at our house -- people, packages, trees maybe?  All of our ornaments and tinsel would not fit on this cutie...maybe it will be our tree in a few years?!  

After enough complaining on the part of the females in the home regarding the cold and lack of feeling in our toes, he relented and agreed to Limey.

Brent used those 'big' muscles of his to cut down Limey and he lugged it to the wagon. 

Once arriving back where we parked out car, we partook in a some warm apple cider and waited as the employees at Z's shook out our tree and bagged it for us.  We learned, after our first time at Z's that they only take checks and cold hard cash.  Poor B-real had to drive into town to find a cash machine.  I don't think either us were quite expecting the premium one must pay to locate, cut, and lug your own tree.   B-real told me he found a similar sized Frasier fir at the local hardware store for $40 less than our lovingly cut beauty (my edit there).  Memories, B-real, memories!  

Charlotte was happy to be in the warmish car and to drink her apple cider.  She may have had so much cider that she needed to use the port-a-potty.  I am thankful both girls are now old enough to use those babies on their own. 

I asked the girls if they wanted to cut our own tree down again next year and they said they were o.k. with buying it somewhere inside instead.

Last year our friend and realtor, Andy, was kind enough to offer us a free Christmas tree.  I 'think' it was probably for customers who had done business with Edina Realty agents.  Although Andy did take us to look at 100 houses or so we never bought a house with him.  So it was especially nice that he invited us to have a free tree and get photos with Santa at his office.

For next post I will relay why he did not call us again this year with another offer for a free tree.  It may have to do with a certain little person sending him a thank you note, per her mother's request, and including some sort of litigious type remarks about the free tree nearly killing her!  The mother may or may not have reviewed the letter before it was inserted into envelope, sealed and delivered.  Oooops...