Day Three Hundred Forty Five 2013

Neil cut down our tree today at the Christmas tree farm. Looking forward to the decked out version sitting in our living room. Stay tuned.

Day Three Hundred Thirty Four 2013

Off to the Christmas tree farm today ~ our annual after-Thanksgiving quest to find The Tree. Beautiful day for it, too.

The family who owns this tree farm is looking to retire, so they haven’t planted new trees in several years. The selection is dwindling, especially for the tree we like the best which is the white pine.

Neil tagged the tree to chop down later ~ in about two weeks. There wasn’t much to choose from this time and we weren’t thrilled with our choice, but I always tell Neil they’re all beautiful when you get them decorated. Love the smell of a fresh white pine in the house, even if it makes for stopped up noses. It’s all part of the Christmas experience.

Day Three Hundred Forty Two 2012

Neil and I did a bit of Christmas shopping today in the Nashville area. We stopped in at Bass Pro Shop and I couldn’t resist taking a shot of this bear. I had to laugh when I saw this picture on my computer this evening. That tree limb sticking out behind his paw makes him look like he’s on stage, belting out a number—maybe a Christmas carol. Cracks me up.

On our way back home, we decided to stop by the Christmas tree farm and chop down the tree we picked out a couple of weeks ago. Actually, Neil used a saw to cut it. Hope to get it decorated in the next day or two. Stay tuned.
And a Happy TGIF to one and all!

Day Three Hundred Thirty 2012

Neil and I headed out to the local Christmas tree farm this afternoon, as we usually do the weekend after turkey day. The moon was rising and the sun was setting and the window for tree choosing was rapidly closing. So we set a new record and tagged the second tree that caught our attention before God turned out the lights. This white pine is the chosen one. It’s about nine feet tall. We like it. I think we work better with a deadline looming, so we may wait until sundown again this time next year to tree pick. (Lord willing, of course)

Day Three Hundred Twenty Nine 2011

Ah, the leftover turkey.....hubby Neil asked me if I wanted any turkey with my mayonnaise sandwich. It was delish! It was such a gorgeous day today that we decided to go to the tree farm and pick out a Christmas tree. Daughter Kelly and son in law Kerry came along and helped us find a great looking tree. That's the only shopping we did on this Black Friday. We also savored some decadent Mae Pearl's frozen yogurt and (later) some yummy Mexican food for supper. Sure did enjoy this laid back TGIF!

Day Three Hundred Thirty Two 2010

Neil and I trekked out to the Christmas tree farm today in search of a Christmas tree. This literally was the first tree we saw and we both liked it a lot. It's a Fraser fir, which is a departure for us from the white pine we usually cut. You can see Neil standing behind the tree. He's 5'8", so that gives you a good idea how tall this tree is. We have a 9.5 foot ceiling in our living room. I just hope we don't have to cut the top of the tree off. That would just be sad. We're thinking of stringing the vintage fat colored lights this time, but we may look into the LED versions, which I know just won't be the same. Stay tuned.

Day Three Hundred Forty Five

Time To Cut The Tree

On our way out to the tree farm at lunch time today, I was taking pictures of the beautiful sky with my cell phone. This one was particularly neat with the reflections in the wind shield glass. That red thing looks like a space ship with flames shooting out of it.

Our little White Pine was patiently waiting for us to come and claim it. The folks at the tree farm will happily cut down your tree for you. Neil just borrows one of their saws and does it himself. Easy peasy, as they say.

The tree looks like it sprouted a head and legs, but it's just Neil getting ready to head to the check out point.

We've always found nice Christmas trees at this farm. They always smell so good.

Shake it! They put the tree on a little vibrator thingy and it shakes off all the dead needles and hopefully any critters hanging out inside there.

The tree is bagged in a net which will keep its branches secure until we're ready to bring it into the house for decorating. That process--and believe me, it is a process--will begin maybe tonight, but most likely tomorrow. Time's a wastin'! Christmas is two weeks from today.

Day Three Hundred Thirty Three

Christmas Tree Shopping

It's our family tradition to head out to Savage Christmas Tree Farm near Baxter, Tennessee, the weekend after Thanksgiving to pick out our Christmas tree. Just follow the sign ...

Our traditional tree is White Pine. We like the long, soft needles. The tree farm seems to be trending toward the Frazier Fir, though. Cutting down a tree that is specifically grown to become a Christmas tree is best for the environment they say and will certainly stay fresher longer, especially in a house with a wood stove (which keeps us toasty all winter).

Such a beautiful day for tree shopping. We were thankful for the mild, dry weather this time out.

The one. We tagged this one and will return for it in a couple of weeks.

Can you see the Mockingbird perched atop this huge Frazier Fir like a tiny ornament? That little bird was happily singing its lungs out. So sweet. Probably some Christmas carol. It's that time of year again.