Oh Christmas Tree

We bought a $10 tree cutting permit from the Forest service in hopes of having a fun family outing to find the perfect Christmas tree.

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As a kid, I have fond memories of doing exactly that each and every year.

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The only downfall to this method is not knowing how tall a tree really is. They look so much smaller in the forest... But when you try to bring the tree indoors you quickly learn your tree is twice as tall as you thought. Which is why the trees from my childhood ended up being square most years. (My dad would hack the bottom and sometimes the tops off, just to get the blasted things in the house!)

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We drove all the way up into the mountains only to be flagged over by a ranger stating that the forest roads were VERY icy and slick. They recommended that all vehicles, even 4x4s, chain up before making the trek any further. Being without chains, we decided it wasn't worth risking our lives teetering along the steep, cliff hugging roads just to get a tree so we had to turn around.

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The boys were pretty bummed out.

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But we were dressed for the weather and had a big thermos of hot chocolate waiting for us in the back of the rig, so.....

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We found a place along side the main highway that looked like a perfect candidate for some fun in the snow to lift our spirits.

We had an epic snowball fight!


Slid down small hills using only our slick snow pants as sleds!

And of course, drank the hot chocolate!

Two happily tired boys just taking it easy in the snow.

On the way down the mountain we drove past a Christmas tree farm where we were able to chop down the perfect tree... and it's not even square!

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I love moments like these, where your original plans get sidetracked only to make way for an even better plan!