Saturday, December 22, 2007

Bagging our first live tree




We have only used one Christmas tree our entire married life.  It was a 2-foot tall artificial tree that we would set up on the floor or on a table to make it seem taller.  The boys finally broke the tree beyond repair this year, so we decided to take our first trip to a real live Michigan Christmas tree farm.  This was a first for all of us.  So here's how it works at a real Christmas tree farm.  First you get yourself a wagon and a saw.  Then you load the kiddies onto the wagon and take a picture.  Next you pull your wagon out to where the trees are, and you find a tree with a price tag on it that you like.  This is the tree you cut down with your saw. Take more pictures.  Haul the tree back to the barn on the wagon.  Back at the barn, farm workers put your tree into a shaker that gets all of the dead pine needles and grass off of it.  Then they put it into the baler, which wraps it in twine so that it won't get damaged on the roof of your car as you drive home.  Don't forget to pay for your tree...you can't get it back from the baler without your receipt.  Now, if you want, you can take a scenic ride around the farm on the tractor-drawn wagon.  The end.  We got a beautiful Frazier Fir and it is just the right size--our best tree ever!  And, as a side note, if you received our Christmas picture in the mail, it was taken by Dan's sister, Bug, on the wagon ride at the Christmas tree farm the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

A lot easier and a better tree than going to the Boise National Forest above Idaho City! Dad

heather said...

Now that looks like fun! We always had a live tree when I was growing up but witht he little kiddos we opted for artificial...I miss the smell and the experience of getting your own tree. You all look great!

Lisa said...

Great pics and beautiful tree, looks like a fun experience. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

.............................. said...

That looks like so much fun. We miss you guys and hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Carolyn Hansen said...

I love reading your blog Andrea because I can almost hear your voice telling the stories. Hope you had a great Christmas.

Janie said...

Your tree is beautiful! Someday I will have a live tree and I can be just like you Andrea.

Tami Vincent said...

Hey girly,
I havnt talked to you forever. Your blog is so cute. I can totally see you saying those things. I just started the blog thing, so I'm trying to get used to it. I will e-mail you my blog. Love ya.

Brooke said...

We so should have talked to you and Dan before going to get our tree. We wanted to go to a real farm like that to get our first real one so badly. That is how my family of origin always got one. But we got lazy and didn't want to drive far away so we went to the Lodi nursery on Waters and Wagner. Also a delightful experience. They gave us 20% off for getting most of their Christmas carol riddles wrong! :)