Kick-off to our Christmas Season

Every year after Thanksgiving we head out to the local tree farm with some good friends to find the "perfect tree". Jen and I did the math this year and this marked our fifth season of practicing this tradition. Crazy how time flies by. I still remember that first year we decided to skip Menards and Flowerama for our trees and take the then little boys out to a real tree farm. My tree has started to be not only a sign of Christmas in our home, but almost every time I look at it I also think of friendship and smiling little kids running around the tree lot. It always makes me smile. 

This year was much the same as past years... we bundled up, my husband insisted the first tree we saw was fine, I convinced him to keep walking, Matt found the tallest and fullest he could find, the boys chased and darted through the trees, the men pretended to cut the tree down and then called the real tree guys over to finish, we laughed a lot, made jokes, sipped on cider, ate popcorn, and just shared a simple yet special tradition that we just threw together 5 years ago. The only thing missing this year was Matt's plaid shirt!  It has nothing to do with Jesus' birth or the real meaning behind this season, but has everything to do with friendship, family, love, fun, and tradition. And it is very good. It has become one of my favorite traditions we do and it all started on a whim decision not too long ago. The tree is cut and up and the Christmas season at the Hansen's has officially begun!

 Funny story... this tree we are posing with is a fake. We did choose this tree. Matthew took a lovely family picture and we cut it down. (by we, I mean the tree guy that works there!) As we were hanging out in the little shed waiting for our trees to be bundled the tree guy returned and needed to chat with them about the trees. The dad's went out to chat with the tree guy and I thought nothing of it. They were back very quickly and I assumed all was well.  Well, as the guys put the tree on our car I knew it wasn't our tree we picked out. Supposedly our tree was going to split and wasn't any good. Dave and Matt wasted no time getting another to take its place and all without involving the kids and wives :)  As soon as they started tying it to our car I knew it wasn't the same tree... a fast one by my husband, but it did not go unnoticed. Needless to say, he did pick out a lovely tree for us in .5 seconds!

 Checking out the situation... 

 Waiting for our tree... notice the decorated windows in the back ground? Those are re- purposed by Dave's aunt and cousin... don't they do an awesome job!?!?

 The gang... five years and counting!

Let the Christmas season begin!