The Experience

I have been thinking about this for a while and I have decided to try to focus more on giving my family and close friends more “experiences” versus  physical gifts.  When you receive an experience you are #1 stimulating a part of your brain that makes you feel happy #2 creating a memory that you will have for years to come versus a gift that you can’t remember next year #3 not cluttering your home or closet with another item that you don’t really need.  DO NOT GET ME WRONG…I am not knocking gifts.   I still like to receive physical gifts.  Feel free to give me a physical gift anytime!  I am just saying that every now and then an experience may be a nice surpise.  So with all that being said,   My husband,kids and I  have never had the “experience” of going to the mountains to pick out a tree.  This is really a shame considering how close we live to so many tree farms.    At Thanksgiving, some of our family members were talking  about it, so we decided to give it a try this year.  I must say this … I was not disappointed.    To be perfectly honest, I just wanted to take pictures the whole time.  At one point Michael said to me and Grace,” are y’all  going to help look for a tree or just stand there and take pictures?”  I loved the nostalgia of the whole experience.  First, they take you on a wagon ride up the road from the parking lot to where all the trees are.  Then you get off the wagon and begin your search for the tree you want.  All the trees have a tag that is color coded for the size tree you want.  Once you find your tree, you alert a worker and they will come get your tree and load it on another wagon and take it to the parking lot for you.  After you get back to the parking lot, they have a diner that serves you complimentary hot chocolate or coffee.  It was very cold when we were there so the hot chocolate was extra nice. Then after you are all warmed up, you claim your tree and then the load it on your car for you.  You really don’t do any work until you get home.  Then the decorating begins!!

 It was so cold you could “blow smoke”This was a rare occassion that I was in a lot of the pictures.  Usually I am always behind the camera.Grace took this image above.  The one were we are nuzzling in the trees.    I do this shot alot for my clients and I have always wanted to try it.  I think she did a good job.The whole thing was a perfect experience.  I can’t wait to go back!  I guess I’ll just keep looking at these pictures over and over and reliving it in my mind until next year!

Tis the season to be Jolly!

~Laura