O Christmas Tree!

Our annual hunt for the perfect Christmas tree was today. Rather than going to a Christmas tree farm as we always have, five out of six of us opted for a less messy and frigid experience. So, we went to a store with cut trees.

Boy, were we surprised to find that trees, which are already cut, are two to three times more expensive than the ones you cut down yourself.

So, one out of six of us got his wish........and we drove to a Christmas tree farm.

We weren't prepared for this change in plans. No gloves, no scarves, no hats. Though, we sure did look good as we marched around the cold and muddy farm wearing our church clothes and shoes.

This farm had all the 'bells and whistles' to make one's Christmas tree experience a wonderful memory. It started with a hayride out to the field in the frigid air. Remember...no hats, no gloves, no scarves. After Sean cut down our perfect tree, the boys hauled it away on a trolley. Workers put a tag on the tree and gave us a matching tag so we could be sure to picked up our perfect tree back at the barn. Another blustery ride on the hay wagon....no hats, no gloves, no scarves. The crew at the tree barn promptly grabbed our tree, shook out the loose needles, and wrapped it up with twine. A worker handed Sean the 'check' and we were ushered into the gift shop to pay for the tree.

Oh, it was warm in the gift shop. It was warm, there was free hot cocoa for everyone, many beautiful ornaments and knickknacks to peruse and ........SANTA! This really was turning out to be a wonderful experience.

After paying for our tree, drinking our fill of hot cocoa and feeling the warmth return to our fingertips, we headed out of the gift shop to retrieve our perfect white pine Christmas tree.......but the only tree left on the ground was....... not .....our ......tree!!!

Hmmm....let's look on the other side of the building.....no......wait.....doesn't the top of that tree on that blue van halfway down the parking lot look a lot like the top of our perfect white pine Christmas tree. Ummmm...what should we do? Do we run after them and say, 'Excuse me, you've tied our tree to the top of your van.' Oh No! The van is backing up....it's leaving....it's gone.......it's......gone. Our perfect white pine Christmas tree is gone!

Taking another hayride was out of the question. The first experience, though cold, was fun. The second experience would just be.....cold. One of the workers witnessed the energy and excitement drain from our crew the moment the blue van drove off with our perfect Christmas tree.

"Why don't you go over to the side of the barn and pick out any one of the cut trees that you see?"

So.......six out of six of us got what we wanted in a round-a-bout-sort-of-way and we ended up with a very expensive and lovely Fraser fir at half the price.

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O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be,
And trust in God unchangingly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
(a traditional German carol, author unknown)