The Rest of the Thanksgiving Weekend
It's tradition for our family to pick out the Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. I guess that's officially "Black Friday", but we don't participate in the early morning "door buster deals" anymore. I used to get up at 5am to hit a couple stores, but I learned I didn't like the crowds or waiting in line. Plus, we pretty much do all of our shopping online.
So back to the tree - it always seems that the weather is nice and sunny and this year was no different. We always go to the same store and we normally pick out a Balsam Fir tree. This year, the kids wanted something different - a Scotch pine tree. I always take a picture at the store, with the chosen tree:
So I can look back and see how much the kids have grown - here's the picture from 2008:
Once we pick out the tree, we wander around the store because there's so much pretty stuff to look at.
Another tradition associated with our tree picking adventure is the tree almost falling off the top of the truck. It never fails - we have to stop two or three times on the journey home (a whopping 4 mile trip) to re-secure the tree. Well, this year hubby got smart and put the tree inside the truck instead.
So the tree is up and I hope to take some new "tree bokeh" photos in the coming weeks, like I did last year.
That used to be our tradition too, but the dryness and quality of trees here in Cali just didn't make it until Christmas. I always had a brown mess for a tree before we could really enjoy it much. So one year we splurged and bought an imitation tree at Costco. Pre-lit. It has worked out nicely, but I miss our tree trips. =)
What a great idea! Taking a "tree" photo every year to record the kids' growth. They DO grow up fast!
I'm an online shopper too. The only reason I would brave the crowds and the chaos is for the photo op. lol
I'm off schedule with the tree this year. Our Thanksgiving company just left today and I'm trying to get things back in order before I drag out all the decorations. (Thanks so much for the prayers. They are greatly appreciated.) ;)
Brian's expression in the 2008 photo is hysterical! Was he mad?
Fun blog and this last photo made me smile. Love that flower. Wow.
I love the 'flashback' shot. So fun to look back on these traditions and see how the kids have grown, etc. We used to to go the same nursery for our tree but since moving a bit further north a few years ago have taken to going to a local tree farm.