Christmas Tree The Old Fashioned Way

My sister-in-law requested that I do a blog about how we get our Christas tree, so here it is. We still get our Christmas tree the old fashioned way, go out find one and cut it.  I have been keeping my eye on this one for many years now.  We get them from the ditch as the road equipment tears them out when they re-do the ditches anyway and this is a more environmentally practical use of trees that get killed or destroyed in the process of maintaining the roads. They did our ditch a couple years ago and I was afraid this one would be ripped up but they only exposed the roots and it held fast. If I can get to them fast enough when they are torn from the ground I transplant them and some manage to live. I promptly went down and covered and tamped the roots back on this one, watered it well and it survived. You can see how it is at the very edge of the ditch and now it will receive a special place in our home as a Christmas tree.

Getting down into the ditch with a cast wrapped in a plastic bag was a daunting task. Getting down was not hard but getting up again that proved to be a challenge. Glad that Carol was there to help me back up as with one leg and the other one sliding because of the plastic bag on the cast I may have had to crawl all the way home. I hate to cut any live tree but this one would be doomed by a road grader next time they did our road so this was the year to put it to good use.  Also, many times when plowing snow they miss the road and go down the ditch which destroys the smaller trees.  This is especially prevalent when we get a new grader operator or the more experienced ones allow their plow to slip down in a ditch.

We know our tree is fresh because when you cut it yourself it just doesn't get any fresher. For any tree I cut I usually dig up a few little ones from the ditch and replant them. Just good common sense conservation. When I transplant the ones in the ditch that would be unceremoniously ripped up by heavy road equipment it transplants trees for future Christmases. As soon as the snow and ice melts off this beauty we will bring it indoors. I know some who prefer artificial trees but we like to choose a tree that may not be perfect and then make it beautiful. It may have insects or be 'dirty' as some would choose to believe but we believe it is the perfect tree and give it a month to display its radiance.  A fresh cut tree also permeates our home with a natural fragrance. Not to mention that the sap sticks to my fingers which then stick to these computer keys and makes typing this take a little longer and more difficult. For those who get sap on their fingers I suggest starting fluid as the ether dissolves it immediately and does not harm your hands. It also works well on fabric too.  

While others are fighting the crowds on black Friday we took the opportunity to get our Christmas tree. All it required was a walk down the driveway to a tree we have been protecting for many years while waiting for just the right time. The time is this year and this tree will now be the center point of our Christmas celebration.