Walking in a Winter Wonderland! ❄️

It’s pretty rare when I get my Christmas wish…mostly because I can’t control the weather. But this year…this beautiful, magical unicorn of a year…I got my Christmas wish.

It snowed the day before we went to cut down our Christmas tree!

I know, this probably doesn’t seem like the biggest deal in the world. But to me? Oh mercy it’s the best ever. It couldn’t have been any better at all!

The snow fell just a few inches, but it was enough of a dusting to cover the ground and all the trees in just the way I like. We drove through the winter wonderland to get to the tree farm and it was like living inside a Hallmark movie or something! (Though I guess when you live in Vermont, you’re bound to enjoy some snow globe perks. 😉)

We got to the tree farm and were met with the familiar hustle and bustle we experience every year. This tree farm knows just how to do things. Not just efficiently, but they also know how to do it so you get the full experience. We go to this family farm every year because we know just what to expect.

There’s the guy directing traffic in his shorts — every year we wonder how he can do that. How do you wear shorts in 20 degree weather?!

There’s the line of cars coming in and those going out — trees tied to the roofs of all different kinds of cars. It creates such a community feeling when you’re driving around with a tree on top of your car and you see others driving around with trees too. I don’t know how to explain it, but it knits us all together in this beautiful, festive way.

At the tree farm you can either park up front and grab a sled and a saw and get lost in the trees looking for the perfect tree. Or you can drive your car around the maze to get to the “good” ones. The unexplored territory, if you will.

We chose to park this year because just before the snow fell we had a few days of rain, which left a slushy, muddy mess. We drive a minivan and it rides low to the ground so I knew it wasn’t going to be a good decision to try to drive out this year. We were happy to park and grab a sled because this year is Miss Hope’s first Christmas and we wanted her to have the full Christmas tree cutting experience — sled and all!

We bundled her up in her little snowsuit and I am not sure I’ve seen anything cuter than a baby in a snowsuit! Wow!

We plopped her in the sled with the boys — mostly for a quick photo and then we pulled her out and let the boys have some fun. They are definitely the definition of “boy” and would easily have dumped her out of that sled, so we errored on the side of caution. Haha.

It didn’t take us long to find the tree this year! I normally like to go further into the field to find the perfect tree, but with it being so cold this year I was a bit more open to something on the “edge”. And when we found this tree, we just couldn’t ignore it. It was so lush and full, even so full of snow and icicles! You have to go into it knowing this could happen though. Remember that your tree is going to thaw and the branches will drop. I forget this in my tree selecting process every year. I inevitably choose a tree that is far too big for the small space we have available. Whoops!

Then we took the annual family photo in front of our find. Earlier in our parenting days, I needed the perfect family photo. And I had many a meltdown when that just did not happen. Inevitably one of my children wouldn’t be looking at the camera. I didn’t understand Autism then, or children in general, haha. So I had very unrealistic expectations of my family. It often led to me getting so angry and leaving in tears. I love making memories. But I didn’t realize that you make memories as you go…as they are happening! You can’t manufacture a memory. It often doesn’t go the way you plan. So this year I had zero expectations. I just handed the phone to my mom, grabbed lil’ miss and smiled my happiest, truest smile. I had to giggle because everyone coming out to the tree farm was dressed all cutesy and had their hair all pretty and their puff ball hats just right. Makeup just perfect. Here I was in my jeans and my boots, my marshmallow jacket and a hat covering all my head so I didn’t even look like I had hair. And when I don’t wear eye-liner you can’t really tell that I have eyeballs. Haha! But boy did I feel free and so happy and content to just be myself. And you can see it on my face. I was/am genuinely happy!

We took a few minutes to play hide and seek in the trees and I would 10/10 recommend making time to do that with your kids. It made me feel like a kid again! And hearing their giggles and squeals is the absolute best. 😍

After we got the tree we went up to the cabin to pay for the tree and to grab a free hot chocolate. It’s such a sweet experience. After a chilly trek in the tree field, it feels like the hot chocolate warms your entire soul. It’s certainly not fancy hot chocolate, but in that moment it feels like the richest, most grandest treat.

On the way home from tree cutting, it’s very appropriate to sing Christmas carols at the top of your lungs. So, we did just that. 🙂

Bye tree farm! We will see you next year! 😍

We brought the tree home and spent some time with Nana and Papa. We decided not to try to decorate yesterday because that big tree needed some time to thaw and drop and who wants all their ornaments all over the floor?! Not us. Thankfully the baby isn’t crawling just yet, but boy she’s close. And the last thing we need is broken ornaments all over the floor right now!

I’m sitting here typing this story this morning in front of my [fake] fireplace and enjoying a cozy mug of “dessert coffee”, while getting little sniffs of the pine tree and it is glorious. My nativity is twinkling next to me and the Christmas lights in the windows are nice and cheery. Even if the tree isn’t decorated yet (we plan to do that this afternoon after church), it is still so very majestic.

I love getting the tree. I love this time of year. It just feels extra cheery this year. Maybe because last year was so hard…so painful. Maybe I feel like we deserve a “do over” of sorts. But regardless, I definitely feel a lot of gratitude this year. This holiday season feels so different, but in a good way!

Do you cut your Christmas tree or buy it from somewhere?

Blessings to you,

~Nikki