Chopping Our First Christmas Tree

We've not put up a Christmas tree at home back in Singapore but living here, the atmosphere in the neighborhood and in the office inspires such a feeling of Christmas that we decided to do it for the first time. I spoke with a colleague and good friend about Christmas tree shopping and she invited us along to a tree farm she was going to on Saturday to select and cut down our own fresh tree. This is not something you can do in Singapore so of course we excitedly tagged along.

Kluck's Nursery (http://www.klucknursery.com/whatwegrow.htm) is a 35 minute drive away in Saginaw. It has hundreds of trees for you to pick from....which is a double-edged sword...took us 2 hours or so before we finally found OUR tree.

But first, here are the types of fir on offer:

1. Frazier Fir: the variety that another colleague recommended because the branches are firmer and hold ornaments better.
2. Spruce: bushier and paler in color
3. Colorado Blue Spruce: erh don't like the color which is a blueish pale green
4. Balsam Fir: looks great but a bit limp

Step1, you need a sled.

Once you find a tree you like, you saw at the base of the tree to cut it down.

Then you lay it on the sled and drag it back to the pruning center.

After the friendly folks at the farm has prepped the tree for you to take home, including drilling a hole at the base of the trunk for the stand, you pause to warm your frozen fingers and butt by the hearth hopefully cradling a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. This is also when you miss friends and family madly because it would be more fun if the gang was here.

Then you drive home with the tree lashed to the top of your car or stuffed into the trunk/boot.

Next, you get your strong person to carry the tree into the house. Of course, your tree stand must be already set up.

Once your tree pops upright onto the stand, you're all set to start decorating.

The tree drinks about a gallon (@ 4 liters) of water a day. We have to keep it well hydrated to keep it alive and prevent it from being a fire hazard.

Phew! That was a lot of work for the strong person! He'll get to stick the star right on top of the tree when we're done decorating!