Urban Christmas Tree Hunting

So Sam wouldn't give up all hope that we hadn't actually missed Christmas this year, we were determined to get a tree in the house this past week. Busy as it was and with Gary coming home fairly late each night from work, we didn't get it done Monday or Tuesday night. Wednesday came and by 7:30 or so that night, we finally had a chance to go out for a tree.

Wednesday was the day we had sustained 20-30 mile per hour winds and gusts of 50 mile per hour and a low temperature of 15 degrees. Put those all together and it was truly brutal to be outside. I'd say it was the most ferocious winter wind that I ever remember experiencing. And yes, that was my free day for the week, so I went out to do some shopping and pay money to get my hair done. And one step out of the shop and it was undone.

So to go out that night as a family to get a tree wasn't our most genius idea ever, but hey, I think it made for a memorable Christmas memory.


One quick stop was what we were looking for, so we went to Lowe's. Right away, Caroline found her very own free tree.

We seemed to be the only ones out shopping for a tree. Why is this place so deserted? Oh, yeah, because we're the only crazy people.

This picture so cracks me up. Doesn't Sam look like some little old man with bad fashion sense?

Jack and Grant did their part in helping. Jack was helpful to point out and actually stand up trees he thought might be nice ones while Grant acted as critic. And this he admitted himself as we finished and hustled back to the truck.

"I think I deserve a new Lego set for telling you what was wrong with every tree."

Grant, gotta love him... or otherwise I'd kill him. And no, his teeth haven't gone all green. That'd be his lovely retainer.I'd like to think we finally found our special tree, just the right one, but I think we just finally grabbed one to get the heck out of there. So inside we headed to pay and play on lawnmowers. And what do you get when you wear glasses and come in from freezing cold? Fogged up glasses. That get hung up on your ski mask. Robbers, be warned. It could happen to you. Somehow, I am just not sure this goes right in line with the original idea behind the ancient Germanic custom of bringing in a tree to decorate for the Christmas celebration...wheeling your pre-cut Douglas fir in a red plastic shopping cart, but hey!

Here's the before. Stay tuned for the after.