The Joy of Hunting Trees

In Response to Dancing Elephants Prompt 10/52

The boy in the above photo is now 16 years old, but at this moment, frozen in time, he was only 2. It was our first year hunting for Christmas trees together.

For many years, we went to the same farm — a beautiful place on a remote hillside. As far as special attractions, there was naught more than a painted wooden snowman holding a Christmas tree. The tree had height markers on it so that customers could measure their conquests, as well as their children’s growth over the years.

Much has changed today, including the boy in the photo. Not only is he notably taller, but he now has a brother and a cousin to accompany him on the annual holiday tree expedition.

Life has necessitated minor adjustments throughout the years, and we haven’t always visited that same farm. More recently, we’ve tried a place closer to my house — a bit less remote, but still includes a small hillside and some nice views.

There are more attractions here, including a food truck, music, hot cocoa and cookies, an outdoor fire with benches to warm yourself, visits from Santa, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. These are a special treat, particularly when it’s snowing.

As New Englanders, we love the snow. My husband, son, mother and I are all winter babies who deeply appreciate a white Christmas.

Tree hunts in the snow often mean snowball fights for the cousins, too!

This year, we tried something really different: we visited the oldest continuously operating stump sprout tree farm in the world.

All of the trees are coppiced and grown from a cohort of stumps more than 65 years old. The farm is not really a farm, but a managed forest. (Not only is this more sustainable, it’s more affordable, too.)

The trees here are wild and not perfectly shaped, but they are uniquely charming and incredibly fun to track down.

My parents and two of my cousins joined us as we trekked through the pine grove, but my nephews were absent. Instead, we will pick them up on a future weekend and head to the farm with the horses and cocoa, just for the sleigh ride. It’s warm lately, but we are hoping for snow.

The only trouble with our rugged, sparse tree is that I think our cat may be offended by it. She has always felt that our elaborately decorated pines were a special homage to her.

By some standards (including hers), this year’s tribute is a bit more scant.

As for the rest of us, we always appreciate what we have.

Thanks to Dr. Preeti Singh for inspiring us all to reflect on Joyful December Vibes. ❤️