Pete’s Pick: Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

One of my favorite childhood memories was the day we’d load into the station wagon and go on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. It would take what seemed like hours for my mom and dad to agree on the perfect tree, and then what seemed like another hour for my sister and me to actually cut it down and drag it back to the car. And once back home we’d build a fire and then spend the evening decorating the tree and baking cookies.

Last weekend my family and I headed out on our annual quest for the perfect Christmas tree, and as we passed numerous cars with trees already on their roofs a huge smile spread across my face. I just love the tradition of choosing and cutting your own Christmas tree.

So, if you haven’t picked out your tree yet, find a local tree farm that lets you pick and cut your own tree. Nothing beats walking around the farm (and it will be a beautiful farm), looking for the best tree, cutting it down yourself, and then dragging it back to your car.  All farms will have hand saws you can use, and will even help carry it back to your car if need be. Word of advice: trees look smaller in an open field, so err on the slightly smaller size.

Happy tree hunting!