I will be the first to admit it…
I have always been the artificial Christmas tree type. The thought of a fresh tree has always seemed expensive, time consuming, and messy. Does that make me a scrooge??? I absolutely love my artificial Christmas trees. I have never had any desire to have a fresh tree in my home!
I have two Christmas trees that I put up each year. A flocked candy themed tree that goes in our dining area, and our main tree that is in our living room. I have had our candy Christmas tree up for a few weeks, but I have been going back and forth about getting a new artificial tree for our living room.
Here is a photo of my candy Christmas tree!
I was waiting to put our main Christmas tree until I found exactly the one I wanted. I have looked at Michaels, Home Depot, & Walmart for a new one, but I just haven’t been able to find the perfect tree.
Maybe I haven’t been able to find the perfect artificial Christmas tree for a reason…
Every year my children beg for a “real” Christmas tree. One that “smells like Christmas”. My husband, Justin, and I always make our case as to why an artificial tree is better for our family, and up goes the fake Christmas tree. I think it always looks so pretty and then when the season is over we pack it up and put it away!
But… for some reason, this year, my husband was on the kid’s side about having a fresh Christmas tree. He thinks it would be fun to have the “real” Christmas tree experience. Well… I guess now I am really outnumbered!
We have a new Christmas tree farm in our town, Porter Pines, and everyone has been posting fun pictures on Facebook and Instagram of themselves with their big, fresh Christmas trees. I have to admit it did look fun so after a little convincing. (Ok, maybe a lot!) I agreed to give a fresh Christmas tree a try this year.
We went to Porter Pines Christmas tree farm on a dreary Saturday afternoon. We were the only customers there so we got the ultimate experience. The friendly owner welcomed us and showed us around the farm. He explained to us all of the different types of trees that were grown in the farm, and gave us a rundown of how the process worked.
The owner let us know we could cut our own Christmas tree after we picked it out, or they could cut it down for us. My husband was all for cutting it down himself, so we might as well go for the full experience, right?!
We took a tractor hay ride down to where the larger Christmas trees were grown. There were so many beautiful trees to choose from.
The kids had to make sure we picked out just the perfect tree, so we went down each row of Christmas trees admiring them all. The smell of fresh pine filled the air, and the smiles on my children’s faces was so sweet to watch.
After a little while, my girls both agreed that we had spotted the perfect 9 ft. fresh Christmas tree, so it was time to get started cutting it down. My husband was very happy to do the honors, and it was fun to watch the tree come down.
We took our tractor hay ride back up to the entrance, where the kids were able to take a cow train ride while we waited for the Christmas tree to be wrapped and loaded onto the top of our van. There were several activities to keep the little ones entertained. The kids loved seeing how tall they were, and running around playing!
After our new fresh Christmas tree was all loaded up, it was time to take it home and do the fun part….DECORATE IT!
The kids had so much fun picking out our new Christmas tree, and decorating it with lights, ornaments, ribbon and garlands! Every time I walk by it I get a whiff of Christmas! I have to say I am so happy with our beautiful fresh Christmas tree!
I truly enjoyed the entire fresh Christmas tree experience. We had such an amazing time picking out our new tree. The folks at Porter Pines tree farm are a joy to do business with. They made the experience magical and stress-free. I think this will be a new tradition for our family!
Do you prefer to put up an artificial Christmas tree, or a real one? Let us know in the comments below!
