Choose and Cut Tree

After Thanksgiving in Charlotte we headed back to Hickory to meet Amy's parents. On the Friday after Thanksgiving I went out with Mom for our traditional day after Thanksgiving shopping. We had a great time and got some great deals. Then, on Saturday Mimi and Poppa went with us on one of my favorite traditions. We loaded up the van and drove up to Banner Elk to a choose and cut Christmas tree farm. One of our friends works there on the weekends and we have been going for the past 4 years. This was the first time we had gone on a Saturday and it was really busy. The idea for those of you have never been is they give you a big stick and then you walk out among the trees on the farm and find your "perfect" tree. You can use the stick to measure how tall it is and then when you find it you start waving your stick back and forth and these guys come on four wheelers with chainsaws and cut it down for you. It was freezing on this particular day with a wicked wind. We got bundled up, but it was still cold! The first year we went I was on the hunt for the perfect tree so I wanted to keep looking. Well, after a while they all started looking the same. Since then I have decided that if Matt and I both like a tree we should just go with that one instead of walking around in the freezing cold.

Thankfully the kids love it and they do not even really complain about the cold.
Exploring how they feel.

On the hunt

All bundled up

With our tree

We always take a picture of the kids with the baby trees. Kallie did not want to look at the camera.
They had a hay ride, but it was so cold and we needed to eat lunch and get back because State was playing that afternoon. We went in the building/barn where you pay while they bundled up our tree and there was a Santa Claus. The kids did not even ask to sit on his lap - just said "Look, there's Santa Claus." We drank some hot chocolate while we waited for our tree to be ready. When we went out I noticed a nativity scene that had not been there in years past. The kids immediately ran over and asked to have their picture taken with Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. Of course! Thankful that they seem to be getting it :)