One of my favourite childhood Christmas memories is of chopping down a Christmas Tree with my family. My mom has a really fun story that I always get her to tell. One year my Dad took me, a toboggan and a hand saw into the farm fields in search of a tree, while she stayed in the car with my newborn brother. This makes me around the age of two. Apparently, I wanted to go further and further, in search of the perfect tree. She finally got worried about us and bundled my brother, John up and headed out in search of us. She found us returning, me all bundled up being pulled on the toboggan tired out, and my Dad dragging a 15 ft Christmas tree with the other arm. We had really tall ceilings in Kingston so they went all out with the tree height! This story makes my Dad into the hero he always is in my head (& in real life).
So this year I had to have “chop a real tree down” on the Christmas Bucket List. Since my friend Aubrie has a house she was the perfect victim for getting the real tree. My friend Richard tagged along and we met up with another couple up at the farm. We chose Horton’s Magic Hill Tree Farm near Stouffville. They supplied us with a hand saw & wrapped the tree for us for easy transport. It cost $55 all in. There were plenty of fields near parking and you could venture off as far as you’d like. They also provided a wagon ride out further into the property if you wanted a full experience. This is a great outing for the family. They have hot chocolate & a nice bonfire to crowd around.
We measure trees for height by hugging them 🙂
My friend, Richard had the honour of sawing the tree down (he really wanted to use an axe) & Aubrie sawed off the bottom branches and then hoisted that bad boy on her shoulder to carry it back to the tree-wrapping contraption. We got some priceless looks from families driving by. I kept wanting to yell. She likes lifting heavy things for fun!
We spoiled ourselves with a glass of warm cider ($1 each!). We were so excited about the price and joked it was only because we live in downtown Toronto. Our photographer took a picture of the three of us and he said “nice face”. I thought he was referring to my standard #theface so I said thanks! And then so did Aubrie. After looking at the picture I realized she did #theface too. That’s when you know you have good friends who partake in your silliness.
And finally to top off the day Aubrie made us mulled wine that evening to relax after a long day of driving. It’s super simple to make and tastes oh-so good.
It’s just the start of the holiday season and I can’t wait to tackle more things off the Christmas Bucket List!