Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Last year we had no clue about our small town and the fact that there are no tree lots near. If you want a real tree you have to get your tree tag the day after Thanksgiving, and then you have that weekend and the next to harvest your tree - we found this info out on the last day. So we had no choice but to put up our fake tree and burn pine candles. But as soon as the tree came down it went out with the garbage - sorry mom. Jason said that this would ensure we get a real one.

But of course, a year later, do you think we could remember all this? Luckily we heard a commercial, through static, that it was time to get a tag. Couldn't hear exactly where they were being sold so Jason made a few phone calls - SOLD OUT! They sell all their 1000+ tags in one day! However, I saw a sign in Salina and Jason had Monday off. He needed to go to Salina anyway to get a new pull rope for the chainsaw, so going there to get a tree tag was not out of the way.

As soon as the older two girls got home from school, we loaded up and headed up the canyon. We stopped and looked at a few trees we saw from the road and thought there's no way we are going to find a good one from the road. Jason wanted to get up higher and then look on the way down, sunlight was running out. The girls and I kept going AH there's a- and Jason would do his 'Dr Evil' SHUSH, SSH, ZZ, ZIP...But then we all saw it at the same time, a beautiful, skinny but stately, douglas fir.

(You may have to turn your head to see some of the pictures. I got too frustrated trying to figure it out so I gave up. OH well!)

We had a lot of fun, and stress, decorating the tree. Chey was SSOOO excited she just had to touch everything - then throw it. I gave her an ornament I knew she couldn't hurt; she walked right up to the tree and chucked the ornament at it, turned to me clapping and screams, "YAAAY!"

After we cut the tree and roped it up, we still had sunlight so we continued up the mountain. We were hoping to get a look at some wildlife and came upon a frozen pond. At first the girls were scared to step on it, even after Jason jumped up and down all across it. Then we couldn't get them off it! That is until Cheyenne was screaming ouhwee because her hands got so cold.

We did see quite a few deer - actually more than a dozen - in little groups of 3-4.
We had so much fun. Now I just gotta keep Chey from toting the ornaments around and swiping at the branches of the tree.