Behold, I [ have ] a dry tree

Other than two weeks ago (when I mistakenly thought it was too early to get a Christmas tree), we've had nothing but constant rain and storms. Although I wish I could have gotten a Christmas tree a week ago, I didn't want to get one in the rain and then have to let it dry out in our garage, leaving a car outside to defrost in the morning. Fortunately, we got our big break yesterday and the weather was clear!

Sensing a memory we could create, I found a tree farm not far from us and we all went as soon as I got home from work. The boys loved that it was a real farm, with cows eating the last pumpkins of the year. Lucas ran around so much it was tough to get a clear shot of him:


This was the first time I've ever been to a tree farm, let alone cut my own Christmas tree! Unfortunately, I hadn't thought of how much harder it is to saw through a trunk as close to the ground as possible, and Leslie picked out a tree with a thicker than average trunk. Fortunately, the farm provided a good sharp saw and having my family there motivated me to keep going without help.


Joshua decided to help pass the time by singing O Tannenbaum, which he learned in its original German in school. Daniel thought he was a bit rusty:


After some persistence, I felled the tree and we got it baled and tied to the roof of the car. It's a bit heavy, so I was surprised that it fit easily in the stand, which is holding it quite steady. With some assistance from Joshua, I got it settled and it looks great!


We'll decorate it tomorrow night.