The first Christmas that HandyMan and I were married we had to decide whether or not to get a real or fake Christmas tree. HandyMan grew up with real trees while I grew up with fake ones. After remembering the hours it would take to put the fake tree together, shaping each branch individually before attaching it to the “trunk” of the “tree”, I quickly agreed to get a real one. We went to a local Christmas tree farm, one of more than 15,000 tree farms nationwide, and picked out our very first Christmas tree. I had never been to a Christmas tree farm before and I loved it. It was so festive with the barns decorated for Christmas and a small gift shop that sold ornaments and hot chocolate. Every year since then we have returned to the same farm to pick out our tree.

Last year when HandyMan and I went to pick out our Christmas tree, Blue was only 2 months old and we were very worried about it being too cold for him, but we didn’t want to get our tree without him. We bundled him up in 2 fleece sleepers, a hat and mittens (and a onesie, socks and some baby leggings – he was probably hot). Then I put on a baby carrier and put Blue in it, facing my chest with my coat on over the carrier and zipped up around Blue as much as it could be. We had been so worried that it would be too cold for him, but Blue slept through the entire experience. He didn’t even seem to notice the temperature! Nor did he notice the tree once it was up and decorated.

This year was a much different experience. Blue is now 14 months old, walking and would NOT tolerate being strapped to my chest in a baby carrier. We dressed Blue as warmly as we could and headed out in the snow to the Christmas Tree farm on Saturday afternoon (along with about 1,000 other families). There was so much to do at the farm. Since the first year I was there, they have added hay rides in a wagon decorated for Christmas and pulled by Clydesdales. They also have a small petting zoo, a large slide, a wreath barn, a gift shop, as well as a log cabin with coffee, hot chocolate, warm cider and cookies to enjoy. We carried Blue around and let him take in all the sights as well as check out some of the animals in the petting zoo. His eyes were open wide as he tried to take it all in.

We had a lot of fun picking out our tree as a family. Blue was perplexed by the cold and didn’t know what to think of or how to walk in the snow, but he seemed to enjoy the experience as well. However, he’s not really enjoying the tree now that it is in our house. He really wants to touch the tree and play with the ornaments, but he is going to have to be content with just looking at it this year.

Like many other families, we want to enjoy our tree for as long as possible. I looked up some tips on how to care for our tree so we can enjoy it throughout the holiday season:

• Cut a ½ inch disk off the base of the tree within 3-6 hours before putting it in a stand.
• Traditional reservoir stands are the most effective at maintaining freshness.
• As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter.
• Tap water is best and temperature makes no difference in the longevity of the tree.
• Display your tree away from heat sources to keep it from drying out prematurely.

For more tips on how to care for your tree as well as more information on real Christmas trees and Christmas tree farms, please visit the National Christmas Tree Association website.

~guest post by MRS

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