The Art Of Finding The Perfect Christmas Tree.
There is an art to going Christmas tree hunting, and I personally believe I have mastered that art. Now, I am talking about picking out the perfect, REAL Christmas tree; not those (f)tree's you get from the corner of the road on the empty lot that are already cut down for you. I'm talking about driving all the way out to a Christmas Tree farm, and actually going thru the millions of trees that they have, and cutting one down yourself. For those of you who haven't done it before, this is art, and I am going to tell you how to do it in a few simple steps.
*NOTE: This should be done a weekend after Thanksgiving, when the tree farms open.*
Step One:
Look in your local listings for a Christmas Tree Farm, preferably Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm, out by Baldwin Road.
Step Two:
Get some rope, cuz that baby has got to stay on your car somehow when bringing it home.
Step Three:
Once you get there, dont buy the first tree you see that looks good. Spend some time going up and down the farm, looking at all the different trees to figure out what type of tree you would like.
Step Four:
The shape of the tree matters. Once you figure out what type of tree you would like, whether it be the ones w/ prickly needles, or soft needles, or a Charlie Brown Tree; start your search for those types of trees.
Step Five:
Now, once you think you found one, you have to make sure all the branches fill out the tree, so it doesnt have any holes or bare spaces that you can see right thru to the trunk. However, if there is a hole on only one side of the tree, and the other side looks flawless, it is still good (if you are putting your tree against a wall, put the bare side facing the wall so no one notices).
Step Six:
Size Matters. The tree should be around 6'4" or so, depending on how tall you want it. 6'something is pretty standard, you dont want to over-do it, believe me. Take the height of your ceiling into account when finding a tree.
Step Seven:
Check the branches out. They should be strong enough so they can hold your heaviest ornament. No one likes a weak-branched tree that throws your ornaments on the ground, leaving a shattered mess for you to clean up.
Step Eight:
After finding your PERFECT tree, call the people who you are with over (a cell phone is needed, because this farm is huge) so they can judge on how perfect the tree really is. If everyone gives it the A-OK, go get a saw and a cart, because it's time to kill this sucker and cut it down.
Step Nine:
You want to cut the tree trunk down as close to the ground as possible, leaving you with some trunk to work with when setting it up in the stand at home. If there are some stray branches at the bottom, dont hesitate to cut them right off. Once you think it looks good, load it up on the cart, and drag that sucker all the way back to the netting machine.
Step Ten:
Once you get your tree all tightly bundled up by the netting machine, go pay. A good tree could run from anywhere between $60-$120, but it is worth it, trust me. Waking up to the smell of fresh pine everyday for the next month is always a good feeling. When you are standing in line, reward yourself and go buy a cup of hot chocolate and a candy cane, because that combination tastes so good together.
Step Eleven:
Depending on what kind of car you brought (trucks work best, because then you can just throw the tree in the bed), get your rope out, and tie that baby tightly to the top of your car. Use any type of knot that comes to mind; we dont' want that tree falling off on the highway, thats for sure.
Once this is done, you have successfully picked out the perfect Christmas Tree! Now go home, set it up, and start decorating!
*ANOTHER NOTE: If you do not want to cut it down that same day that you find one, you may go ask for a SOLD tag so you can reserve the tree so that it can be cut down on another day.*
Happy Picking!
-Me.
*NOTE: This should be done a weekend after Thanksgiving, when the tree farms open.*
Step One:
Look in your local listings for a Christmas Tree Farm, preferably Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm, out by Baldwin Road.
Step Two:
Get some rope, cuz that baby has got to stay on your car somehow when bringing it home.
Step Three:
Once you get there, dont buy the first tree you see that looks good. Spend some time going up and down the farm, looking at all the different trees to figure out what type of tree you would like.
Step Four:
The shape of the tree matters. Once you figure out what type of tree you would like, whether it be the ones w/ prickly needles, or soft needles, or a Charlie Brown Tree; start your search for those types of trees.
Step Five:
Now, once you think you found one, you have to make sure all the branches fill out the tree, so it doesnt have any holes or bare spaces that you can see right thru to the trunk. However, if there is a hole on only one side of the tree, and the other side looks flawless, it is still good (if you are putting your tree against a wall, put the bare side facing the wall so no one notices).
Step Six:
Size Matters. The tree should be around 6'4" or so, depending on how tall you want it. 6'something is pretty standard, you dont want to over-do it, believe me. Take the height of your ceiling into account when finding a tree.
Step Seven:
Check the branches out. They should be strong enough so they can hold your heaviest ornament. No one likes a weak-branched tree that throws your ornaments on the ground, leaving a shattered mess for you to clean up.
Step Eight:
After finding your PERFECT tree, call the people who you are with over (a cell phone is needed, because this farm is huge) so they can judge on how perfect the tree really is. If everyone gives it the A-OK, go get a saw and a cart, because it's time to kill this sucker and cut it down.
Step Nine:
You want to cut the tree trunk down as close to the ground as possible, leaving you with some trunk to work with when setting it up in the stand at home. If there are some stray branches at the bottom, dont hesitate to cut them right off. Once you think it looks good, load it up on the cart, and drag that sucker all the way back to the netting machine.
Step Ten:
Once you get your tree all tightly bundled up by the netting machine, go pay. A good tree could run from anywhere between $60-$120, but it is worth it, trust me. Waking up to the smell of fresh pine everyday for the next month is always a good feeling. When you are standing in line, reward yourself and go buy a cup of hot chocolate and a candy cane, because that combination tastes so good together.
Step Eleven:
Depending on what kind of car you brought (trucks work best, because then you can just throw the tree in the bed), get your rope out, and tie that baby tightly to the top of your car. Use any type of knot that comes to mind; we dont' want that tree falling off on the highway, thats for sure.
Once this is done, you have successfully picked out the perfect Christmas Tree! Now go home, set it up, and start decorating!
*ANOTHER NOTE: If you do not want to cut it down that same day that you find one, you may go ask for a SOLD tag so you can reserve the tree so that it can be cut down on another day.*
Happy Picking!
-Me.