CrossRoads Farm

O Tannenbaum

12 December, 2004 - 9:11 am

When D was a kid, part of the yearly holiday ritual was the acquisition of the family Christmas tree. His Dad would take them out to a Christmas tree farm where they would choose a tree, cut it down, and bring it home. We didn’t do it that way in my family.

My parents have an artificial tree, always have. It went up the day after Thanksgiving and came down….sometime during the following months. I remember one season when my mother and I took it down on St. Patrick’s Day. My father was not amused.

Yesterday was a first for the girls and I. I told you last week that Millie had given me a heads up that the Charles’ were selling trees from their yard for $15.00 a piece. When we woke up everything was covered with slush so we went out to do the chores – feeding the chickens, cleaning the coop, and clearing the driveway. I called the Charles’ at nine and Mr. Charles was skeptical. “It’s fine with me, if it’s fine with you, it’s pretty nasty out there.” Curt and Nellie and their kids joined us and we headed over at ten.

It was amazing. A forest of holiday trees – it looked to me like something out of a fairy tale. There were rabbit tracks and deer tracks and it was quiet and beautiful in the snow. We clamored around for a half hour or so shaking the ice off the tree branches to get a better look. And making comparisons. Too skinny. Too leggy. Too short….

Finally we found one. A little too tall but easily topped. Nice and bunchy and dense. My heavier ornament may not hold on very well but that’s all right. Everyone agreed that this was the one. So D cut it down and put it in Curt’s truck. Mr. Charles told us that we are the very first people he ever sold a Christmas tree to. The kids are tickled to death by that.

It looks marvelous in the corner of the family room and I can’t wait to decorate it. It will be a spectacular tree. I have to fit decorating in with the rest of the day….

It’s our anniversary today. Twelve years. Wow. I told D this morning that on that day I never expected I’d be living in Vermont with two kids and six chickens. But at least it’s snowing – just like it was the day we got married.

And I have a concert today. Wish me luck. Or to break a leg. Or something. I’m a little concerned we may butcher the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

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