O Tannenbaum, Du Kannst Mir Sehr Gefallen!

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to our favorite Christmas tree farm for our $10 tree. We saw our friends, the Rowes, there on their way out, so Michelle snapped our picture for us. The day was gorgeous up there. There was snow at that level, so the kids had a lovely tromp through the tree farm throwing eating snowballs. The farm is acres and acres of gorgeous noble Christmas trees off an old country road on a gentle hill surrounded by tall firs and nobles. For as long as I can remember, one of my very, very favorite things that makes me so, so, so happy, is the sight of tall pines covered in a hazy blanket of low-level fog in a cold, gray sky. It's right up there with a dark, rainy day and the smell of chimney smoke. The Northwest pulses through my veins deep and heavy. This was just such a day, and I was blissfully happy, tripping along through the snow with my family in search of the perfect Christmas tree with plenty of space between the branches for our larger ornaments and icicles.


And we did, indeed, find the perfect tree. It's amazing to me how small and almost scrawny and sparse it looked at the farm next to other, fuller giants, but it was beautifully symmetrical and so it made the cut (so to speak).



I don't know what is wrong with these guys- they are all so silly when it comes to taking pictures... They look like robot babies, with their awkward poses.



The kids got to hang their ornaments first, so Buzz Lightyear and Hello Kitty achieved VIP spots on the tree.





This picture makes me smile- first, because the little dumplings are cute, and second, because my Mom took a picture like this of me and my brother in the toy box when we were little.













I don't think Christmas cards are happening this year, so, in the spirit of Christmas, we wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS filled with light, beauty, laughter, and love. May your homes be filled with the joy, compassion, and serenity that the Saviour paid so dearly to bring us. Families are eternal, God lives and loves us, and Jesus is the Christ!