I am big on holiday traditions from cookies to carols to gumbo on Christmas Eve. And last year, my family and I started a new one: Heading up north for a day to cut down our own Christmas tree.
It sounded magical and, our first year, it was. We drove up northeast of Camp Verde into the Tonto National Forest and found snow. Picturesque pines covered in fresh snow.
And, though we froze, we found a pretty — if not exactly traditional-looking — Christmas tree. I loved it.
But this year when we ventured up to the forest, instead of snow we found rain.
But, even so, with my two little boys, parents and husband in tow … we piled on our coats and hats and grabbed an umbrella and headed out into the woods somewhere near Strawberry on a day that ended up being one of the wettest this winter.
And, while I had visions of tall pines with elegant branches dancing in my head, that’s not quite what we found.
So, we drove to another spot not too far away. And then another.
After a few hours of this, we were soaked, muddy, cold — and the kids had eaten me out of snacks. So, at the last spot we looked, I found our tree.
It is tiny as Christmas trees go — not much taller than my 5-year-old, with long, needly branches and a sincerely Charlie Brown feel.
But he loves it. And we were all ready to warm up.
We did get a bigger one at Home Depot, but the kids are pretty pleased with their special little tree that they cut down in the forest.
Maybe next year we’ll go straight to Home Depot.
But if you’re not quite as adventurous — or unprepared — as me, what should you do? Go for a real tree at a lot? Or invest in a fake one that will last a long time?
Ross Bernet is a forestry specialist with One Tree Planted. He looks at this age-old debate from an environmental point of view. And, his take is a little counterintuitive.
He says the decision is a complicated calculation, and it probably differs by region.
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