the perfect tree. . .

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
O tree of green, unchanging.
Your boughs so green in summertime,
Do brave the snow of wintertime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
O tree of green, unchanging.
(translation of the old German carol, O Tannenbaum)








With balmy temps of 40 degrees, no snow and only an hour to go before sunset, Benjamin, Jeff & I set out to find the perfect Christmas tree. This was Benjamin's 4th year of choosing our tree and he knows what he is doing. First, you spend a little time looking for wildlife & bird's nests in the trees and then you find the most "Charlie Brown" looking tree that you can find to see how Marsha reacts.








Finally he gets serious and checks for bare spots, straight trunks and height. It has to be over Jeff's head to qualify. He does ask our opinions but the final decision is always his.








This year he did the sawing and of course helps Jeff drag it back to the pickup. Now it's up to me to haul it in and decorate and invite Benjamin back over to show him how he picked out the most perfect tree ever and have him find the small pickle ornament we hide amongst the branches.

We are thankful to have such a fun and wonderful nephew in our lives.