The Quest for the Perfect Christmas Tree--2012

After the china comes down for Thanksgiving dinner . . .

 

After the turkey is baked . . .

 

And carved  and eaten . . .

 

After the kids pose for pictures . . .

 

And wrestle . . .

 

After the stories are read . . .

 

And after the tired babies are put to bed . . .

 

the holiday season changes from Thanksgiving to Christmas overnight.

So Mike and I left Washington and returned home to Blue River, knowing that the first nice day we would be out in the woods for the search for the perfect Christmas tree.  On the Sunday following Thanksgiving, we were, indeed, on our quest.

 

It's in my blood to be relentless in looking for the best tree:  symmetrical, blue-green, full, yet natural, and preferably a noble fir. I've gone out in the woods for a tree for as long as I can remember; first with my mother and father, then with my husband and an assortment of family members, and this year just Mike and me. As the clear-cuts and new plantings have dwindled over the last few decades, finding a tree that is the right size and growing in good light to form the symmetry I desire has become a greater challenge. Once a year I happily tromp through the snow, over logs, through the brush for as long as it takes to find a great tree. 

 

Not this one.

 

Never a pine tree, although this is pretty.

 

The nobles we saw this year were all too sparse.

 

Now you're talkin'--this is a beautiful Pacific Silver Fir.

 

"Are you sure?" Mike asks before he begins sawing.

 

So this fir tree is escorted from its home to ours.