Some Seasonal Traditions

Always one of my favorite days of the year, the day we light our first fire in the downstairs fireplace, arrived not to long ago. There aren't any distractions downstairs, no phones, no television, etc., only a comfortable reclining couch and a fireplace. So on periodic weekend days throughout the winter months, we will light a fire in the fireplace and spend the day reading and napping on the couch, basking in the warmth of the direct heat like lizards. The ashes from this fire have long since grown cold but I hope that the second fire is soon upon us.

For my entire life, five decades and counting, we have always cut down a wild "Christmas tree" in the days after Thanksgiving. I used the quotes because we have always cut down a tree that for many is considered more like a weed than a tree of value. The red cedar tree, while native to our area, propagates very well and grows in undesirable places so people often spend lots of time cutting them down so stop them.

They don't make a particularly classic Christmas tree. They are prickly and brownish this time of year along with not being very classically shaped. Some people even complain about the smell which is very distinctive and strong after you cut into the wood. But after we cut one down, we stick it in a bucket of water which softens up the needles quite nicely. We also put a good dollop of green food coloring in the initial water bucket which gets absorbed up into the tree and greens it up quite nicely. There isn't a lot that I can do about the shape or odor of the tree but to me, it looks rustic and that is a vibe I like to associate with our subdued Christmas traditions. 

When the day arrives, I always through a length of rope, some plastic sheeting, gloves and a tree saw into the back of our vehicle when we go out looking. I guess it is my warped brain but when I look down at these supplies, I always think of a serial killer. I guess in a way I am though of trees and not people 

For many decades, we got our trees down at the farm but after all these years, we've had a hard time finding one. There are still tons of red cedars but none small enough to become our Christmas tree. So for the past handful of years, we've had to go elsewhere while letting our farm regenerate more. I had an acquaintance who had a property full of them closer to where I currently live and we got one there one year but he has been removing them to turn the land over to a different use and eventually he got them all cut down and burned. Last year and this year we have gone to an acquaintance of my wife and cut down our red cedar tree but they too have a lack of small ones.

As a stand of red cedar trees grows and gets taller, they shade/crowd out any new trees so we often find the smaller trees on the periphery of the stand. If the land owner mows or tills the land on the periphery, then the trees become contained and they don't produce and small trees useful as a Christmas tree.

All of this is to say that I have absolutely no idea where I will be getting a tree next year or even if I will get another red cedar and keep the tradition alive. There are red cedars everywhere but just not on the property of somebody I know. So I will either have to introduce myself and ask, cut one down from a public right away in a ditch somewhere or figure out another tradition. But I have another year to think about it before I have to have an answer. 

My view of the Christmas tree in the early morning hours.