Oh Tannenbaum Oh Tannenbaum!

We are "real tree" kind of people.  I grew up having live trees, I guess my parents were "real tree" people too!  I love the process of picking one out each year, bringing it home, setting it up, and decorating it.  I love the smell and look of a real tree, even though the cost, eventual drying out, and needle shedding is a pain in the rear.  Luckily, I manage the budget, I also like to vacuum, and have a tolerant husband.

We asked our landlord if she knew where we could buy a real Christmas tree, and she gave us an incredulous look.  Then she told us that 100m up the road there is a Christmas tree farm!   "No way!" I said and looked on Google Earth, to the North of our little village, and SURE ENOUGH, there's a tree farm there.  Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

She said that they only sell trees one day a year (really?  Not great for business if you ask me, but you didn't), so we should go early on that day because the whole village would be there to buy a tree.  Then a few days later she told me that she spoke with the owner, and he said we could come early and pick one out if we wanted to.   Right about now is when I realized how wonderful it is to have a landlord who A) speaks fantastic English,  B) loves children, C) lives right next door.....and D) has lived here essentially her whole life.  The woman knows everybody!

So, one day we received a call from her son "Your Highness" (see my facebook posts to get the reference), telling us that they were at the tree farm and we could come and pick one out.  Maddox immediately began to change her clothes into a more appropriate outfit- you'll see what I mean in a minute.

What!?  This is not what you would have worn?  For the record, that's her birthday dress, purple crocs, and a tiger hat.  Hey, if you want to freeze your little 4 year old buns off, go ahead.  I'm not going to argue about it.

Maverick wasn't really sure why we were in a field in the cold wind.

Not a bad farmhouse for a tree farmer.

Maybe it is just too many stripes Mama!

My little Elf inside the Weihnachtsbaum wrapper- where the trees are wrapped in mesh to get them home.

We got the tree all decorated, and then tried to put the star on, but that was a little harder than Marshall thought it was going to be.

Finally.  Half tree in place- we put it on a side table from IKEA.  Ornaments and star in place- Mav isn't even interested in them apparently.  But the presents are another story!