A Christmas Story

 Today, we took a trip to the local Christmas tree farm where you could pick and cut your own tree.  The view from the hillside was spectacular.  This was a brand new adventure for the Meile crew. We've never had a real tree for Christmas and then to be able to find it and cut it ourselves was a wonderful treat.  

We roamed the hillside looking for the perfect tree.  It was a steep grade so climbing to the top while searching for our little evergreen was challenging, yet fun.  Once we all decided which tree we wanted to harvest, Dave and Lauryl worked at cutting it down.  Even Grace got into the action and finished the last few strokes of the saw.  Then, Camden took the lead, as he and Lauryl carried our Christmas tree down the steep hill.

Once we were at the bottom, the kids helped bind it and load it on the roof of the jeep.  It was a beautiful sight; three happy kiddos and a beautiful tree to take back to the cabin!

Once we got it back, we had decide whether we wanted it inside or on the back porch.  After much consideration, we opted for inside with the hope that Poette and Dempsey would not mess with it too much and that our allergies would not get too crazy.  

Lauryl helped Dave get it inside and set up.  Once it was in its stand, they put on the lights; a strand of illuminated shotgun shells in various colors.  The kids hung their ornaments from Gammy which fit our rustic theme.  We then began working on some homemade items to complete the look.  Our garland was a crocheted strand that Lauryl found in a bin of craft things she got from her great-grandmom Meile who recently passed away.  We made paper snowflakes and we tied bunches of holly on the branches which we found in the woods around the cabin.  We hung several shells we had from our time at the beach this year and Lauryl and Grace decorated sand dollars we found in Destin.  

Tomorrow we are planning to go to a craft fair where we hope to find a few more handmade items to add to the tree. Overall, it was truly a special evening and probably the most memorable since I was a little girl.  As I prepared to take this picture it brought a smile to my face seeing my son's pellet gun sitting there and remembering one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.  It is a great beginning to what I hope is a really wonderful Christmas story for us!