Over the past few years, my husband and I have been trying to create holiday traditions for our family. Even when it was only our oldest daughter, we didn’t truly have any traditions that were just ours. After the triplets were born, we barely made it through Christmas those first few years; I didn’t have the energy to create any new traditions. Last year, we decided to experiment with a new Christmas experience for us all– selecting a real tree from a Christmas tree farm.
Growing up, I had a real tree most Christmases. My husband had never had a real tree. When we married, he was slightly anti-real tree, and we had an artificial tree that we truly liked the first decade of our marriage. Our beloved tree began to get worn, and black electrical tape held up most of the limbs. Last year we discussed investing in a new artificial tree, and my husband was surprisingly open to checking out real trees instead.
I had never been to a Christmas tree farm, and I thought it might be a good experience for everyone. I researched the closest Christmas tree farms and chose one that had great reviews. The day after Thanksgiving we piled everyone into the van and made the hour and a half drive to the Christmas tree farm. The farm was festive and had a wonderful selection. My boys had a blast walking in and out of the trees, and my daughter thought choosing our own tree was special, hugging it after we had found the “perfect” tree.
We continued our tradition this year with another great trip and lovely tree. We’ve found that, for our family, it is a fun new family tradition.
#1 We are supporting local Christmas tree farmers as a family. The experience opens a dialogue with the kids about Christmas tree farms and supporting local.
#2 It’s a wonderful way to get the entire family into the Christmas spirit and choosing a tree together. For a family of 6, it is rare that we all agree on very much, but we never have cross words or arguments on picking a tree.
#3 It creates a family experience. Pulling the artificial tree down from the attic wasn’t much of a family experience. Instead, we forego Black Friday shopping now and head to pick a tree together. This translates to much more family time, and the kids are excited to decorate the tree once we get home.
We may not always trek up to the Christmas tree farm in the mountains, but I believe picking a real tree as a family will be a tradition for many years to come.
Does your family put up a real or artificial tree?
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