Tree Tyranny

This year we decided to try something new and drive to the Ashley National Forrest in Duchesne and cut down our own tree.  For the $10 permit fee, you can cut down any tree up to 15'.  So we figured, go big or go home.

Hiking through the snow to find the perfect tree.

After driving through the forest and hiking in 4 different spots, we found our Christmas tree! (who knew that finding a tree would be so difficult?)

Luckily we remembered to bring the saw.....

"Timber!" yelled all 4 kids.

Time to load her up!

Everyone grabbed a hold to help out, which, let's be honest, was more of a hindrance than a help.  The massive tree ended up knocking them over with it's poky limbs.

While Cam tied the tree to the trailer, the kids decided to warm up with some hot cocoa.  They giggled as their cocoa dumped on the snow, and they ate the "brown snow."  haha  Mmmmmm.  Chocolate snow.

 

Their was definitely a learning curve involved with our tree decision this year.  Turns out if you drag a tree on a trailer behind your car on a snowy day, it gets covered with dirty, gravel-filled slush. The entire bottom half was one sludge-covered tree pop.  We ended up taking it to, I kid you not, the car wash so we could "wash" our christmas tree.

 

Once we got home, we knew our wet tree had to dry out.  Luckily our basement is unfinished and has a set of double doors so the massive beast could fit into the house.  We let it dry overnight, and then swept up all the gravel and dirt that had fallen from it's limbs the next day.

 

The next step was figuring out how we could get an 8 foot  wide tree from the basement, to our family room. There was no was bessy was fitting through an average sized door.  Luck was on our side again as we have another set of double doors out our kitchen, where the deck will one day be.  But right now it was sealed off with a make-shift railing, screwed to the house so we could pass code. Cam grabbed the drill and removed the railing, and together he and I hoisted the sap-covered monster up and into the house.  All in all it made for some laughter, cursing, sticky fingers, and loads and loads of pine needles.

 

Here we are decorating the tree.

The kids climbed the ladder to reach those high spots.

Love these kids!

It was Josh's turn to put the star up this year.  How do you place a star atop a 15' tree?  With a ladder, some wire, and an extendable swiffer duster. Success!

 

The tree was lit and decorated, and we could take a deep breath knowing that we wouldn't have to do that again until next year.  Cue a loud crashing sound the next morning at 6:30 a.m.  I awoke and came down to this:

 

.......water soaked caarpet, ornaments catapulted and shattered throughout the kitchen, mantle decor and stockings flung in shame upon the ground, and a 15 foot tree all lit up and lying lifeless on the floor.  From what we can figure, the kitties got out of the laundry room and went for a little climb......

Lucky us, we got to decorate the tree twice this year!

 

Balance restored!

 

So the tree tyranny definitely dominated us this year.  We'll see if a year of recovery and my forgetfullness will mend the wounds of anger and frustration so we can attempt this again in 2014.