Charlie Would Be Proud

We went up the mountain last Saturday to get our tree.  It was weird to not have snow up there.  But I always breathe easier when we don't have to drive up and down a snowy mountain, so that was nice.  It  had been raining for a couple of days, so it was muddy, and beautiful and smelled so good and fresh!  I love being in the forest.

The rain picked up right after we got there, so we tried to hurry.  There are so many to look at in a pine forest, it's hard to decide.

This one?

Nope.  We walked down the hill through the taller bracken and brushing against the pines, getting soaked.  It was so fun.

We found one that we thought would work.  And made a toast to it with our pretend hot chocolate.  Our real hot chocolate was in the car.  

"You were a little seedling that pushed up through all of these other trees.  You have been competing for sunlight your whole life.  Even though we're going to cut you down, you have lived a good life.  You will bring joy and happiness to our home and you will fulfill the measure of your creation."

Or something like that spoken by the rancher.

"Teeheehee," giggled Ezra.

Big 10-year-old Spencer cut down the tree this year.  It was his first time cutting our Christmas tree.

Cutting a tree down produces extra strength.  Enough strength for a 60 pound boy to lift an entire tree.  I think that the taste of responsibility and independence and, well, overall manhood gives that to a boy: strength, confidence, the desire to be manly and to provide.  He wanted to carry it up the hill and to the car.  (Okay, so it wasn't really that heavy, but still.)

Weston already had his hands full anyway.

I can only find one of these boots now.  Sad.  Especially since Kate wore them, too.  I wanted to keep them forever.

The rain was really coming down by the time we got back to the car.  We thought that drinking the hot chocolate in the car was the best option.

We set the tree up and decorated it right away.

I love our little tree.  Our space is not very big, so it works just right.  Anything bigger would be too big.  Anything fuller would be too full.  Hahaha.  It does sort of look like a Charlie Brown tree, but, then again, I think that all of our trees have.

He's a good one to be like.  He's all about the true meaning of Christmas and is sick of the commercialism of it all.  I feel the same way.

The numbered presents on the top of the window are books/records/cds/movies that we have had for a while.  I wrapped them and we open up one a day, after we read a scripture story about Jesus (taken from an advent calendar that Weston's grandma made), and then we read/watch/listen to whatever is inside.  It's fun, and I like the way they look up there.  In fact, I like the whole homey feel of it all!