The Christmas tree is undoubtedly a significant symbol of the holidays. Growing up in the 70s, picking out our live tree was something my siblings and I eagerly anticipated. Dad made sure our experience was something special. He gave us an afternoon of holiday fun and adventure selecting our tree from a forest of hundreds! 

Most families I knew either had a very unrealistic artificial tree or drove a mile down the road to pick out one from a lot of 20 or so. About two weeks before Christmas, we kids and dad piled into our station wagon. I never recall mom joining us. This was dad’s shining moment to “wow” us and have fun together.

It felt like we were in the car for hours even though the drive is only about 30 minutes from my childhood home. We arrived at Storyland Christmas Tree Farm bundled up from head to toe. It was definitely the kind of weather where you could see your breath. The forest before us was vast. You could see nothing but trees, in all shapes and sizes, covered with a beautiful covering of white, as though a painter worked on their masterpiece overnight.

We rode on a horse-pulled wagon into the depths of where the trees grew. It was a calm and quiet ride with the heavy smell of pine in the air. The clip-clop of the horse’s hooves in the snow and the whole ambiance made me feel sleepy and content. Once we picked out the best, fullest, and most perfectly shaped tree, dad would cut it down and we would drive home with it on top of our car. However, we never left Storyland without hot chocolate to warm us up. Quintessential family fun.

Dad would always put our tree on our back porch to get it acclimated to our warm house for a day or two. I couldn’t help but open the door a couple of times a day just to breathe that crisp Christmas cold air and smell our fresh pine tree waiting to be decorated.

As years passed, so did our interest in picking out our tree. We were probably too busy hanging out with our friends to dedicate a whole Saturday to this task. An artificial tree soon followed. Our dad, however, did what he intended to do. Made memories for us. Beautiful moments like choosing our family Christmas tree will always be a part of my glorious childhood. Thanks, mom, and dad, for once again always warming our hearts, especially on Christmas. 

This picture features one of our many Christmas trees in our beloved house on Dartmouth Ave. Loving the thick gold garland and vintage TV in the background!