Oh Christmas Tree

Let the holiday season commence – we got our Christmas tree!

Yes, folks. We hunted. We appraised. We decided and sawed. We hauled, we hoisted, we paid and we took that tree home with us. And now here I am, basking in its soft glow and inhaling its ever-so-piney smell. 

This past Sunday was gloomy but mild, so Dave and I were allowed the luxury of taking our sweet time walking around Buffalo Bill’s Christmas Tree Farm in Franklin in search of the perfect tree.

I had found three tree farms that we were considering visiting and, being easily swayed by the promise of free cookies, I decided on Buffalo Bill's. The other two sounded good, too, but “free hot chocolate” just couldn’t compare with “free hot chocolate, coffee, cappuccino, and cookies – with hayrides and a bonfire on the weekends.”

Following a scrumptious breakfast at Jean Pierre, we drove the 25 minutes or so out to the tree farm, hand-painted signs pointing us in the right direction along the way. 

After we parked, an adorable blond girl with a red painted nose greeted us, pointed us to the bucket of saws and explained the pricing. The trees were $47 up to eight feet and $14 per foot after that.

As we walked out to where the trees were, we passed by fenced-in farm animals and saw the bonfire, which was mostly just a smoldering pile of ashes at the moment. The place was crowded with families and couples roaming about, all in high spirits, snapping pictures and smiling.

We wandered up and down the rows of trees, surveying each one that we thought might be a possibility.

I didn't like the kind that were thick and cone shaped – where do the ornaments go then? Some were too tall, others too sparse, and still others had dying branches on them.

Finally we found our tree.

A perfect eight feet with plenty of branches but room enough between them for lights and ornaments. Dave got on his knees and started to saw, and then he gave me a turn. I was huffin and puffin before too long - it required strength to keep the saw going back and forth, and it wasn't too easy at that angle.



I gave the saw back to Dave and held the tree by its trunk as he completed the cut. I carried the saw and he carried tree, and as I followed him I couldn't help but think how cute we were, all newlywed-y and cutting down our first Christmas tree. I daydreamed about how I'd think back on this day when it was five of us out there scouting for a tree instead of just two. (But I also thought about how much I appreciate this time of just the two of us right now!)



We brought our tree over to where a few men were standing by a machine that shakes it and bundles it up. We were given a ticket and went inside the trailer to pay.

Inside, kids were decorating ornaments and getting their faces painted, and on a table were assorted sausages and cookies – two of my favorite foods! We paid our $49 and some change and then grabbed some hot chocolate and cookies before heading back outside to collect our tree.



A nice teenage boy brought it to our car for us and put it on top, and then Dave went to get some twine. Attaching it was pretty easy and only took about five minutes, but when we got inside the car we were surrounded by rope zig zagging around our heads. Probably not the safest thing, but we made it home ok.

We were happy with our tree farm choice – everyone at Buffalo Bill's was extremely friendly, wishing us "Merry Christmas" and thanking us for joining them. We thought the cheap plastic soldiers and candy canes and Santas lining the driveway on the way in could use a little updating, but in the end, they just added to the place's charm.

Santa Claus walking around talking with kids, the girl with the red nose, the animals, the fire, the food, the face-painting – it all adds to the experience, and the experience is what people are looking for. I loved it.

On our way back, we stopped so I could get my picture taken by one of the Buffalo Bill's signs we saw. I was amused by the part that said "Come to our farm." I wanted to pose above the sign so I started to climb onto the trailer – and I darn near broke the whole thing when it started to crash down under my weight. (Um, it's not smart to climb on a trailer when it's not attached to anything.)



(Oh, and I realize I look a bit hung over and unshowered in these pictures ... it's because, well, I was.)

Despite a little worrying that the tree was going to fall off as we sped along on the freeway, we got it home safely. Having never put a tree in a tree stand before, we did a pretty good job of getting it in there tight and straight. Dave helped put the lights on, following me around and around the tree, but by the time I was ready to put ornaments on, he'd lost interest. It was fine by me – I like to decide where each one is going to go!



Before long, our tree was complete, and it's beautiful. We moved the couch down so the tree could be seen well from outside, and Dave commented on how homey our apartment feels now and suggested that maybe we should leave the tree up all year.

I don't think that'll happen, but we sure plan to enjoy the warm feeling it brings to our home for the next month!

Comments

[Erin]

Fabulous tree! And I'm impressed by your using a real one (and cutting it down yourselves!).

We've got a few fake ones. We cut corners. :)

[Krista]

Um. I LOVE the bobble-head. HA. That is high-quality business, right there.

You guys are awesome. (Although I assume that was Dave's doing...)

[Dave]

Yeah that's Santa Sheets. Erin made me take him down about as quickly as I put him up. Though I think that bear in the faux fireplace is way more tacky(sorry Mom).

[Andre]

Bear in fireplace? That sounds like a Hallmark ornament.

[Krista]

Aw, crap. Well, it was cool while it lasted. ;-)

[Sarah M]

Erin, I am going to buy you some ornaments for your birthday this year.

[Erin]

hahahaha Sarah!

I do need more ornaments. I left a ton off because so many of the ones I've accrued over the years from mom and Grandma are just hideous! (sorry Mom)

Plus the branches were kind of flimsy so the heavy ones didn't work too well .... Next year, sturdier branches and more ornaments. Got it. ;)

[Andre]

But what about tinsel?

[Dave]

Tinsel sucks!!!

[Mike]

Hi. I recently moved to Milwaukee and was referred by a friend to the Play in the City website. I came here for information about what to do in Milwaukee since I know very few people and I am excited to get to know the city. I came across your blog, and I am really confused. What does your wedding (in excruciating detail) have to do with this site? I have never been so bored in my life. And I am going to throw out a big "who the hell cares" to your ridiculously boring account of how you picked out and decorated your ugly-ass tree. Maybe you should blog about yourself on your own website, because that seems to be the only thing you are interested in writing about.

[Andre]

Gee, Mike, I can't imagine why you have very few friends in the city. You seem like such a cheerful guy. No, seriously. Cheerful. Honestly.

[Christi]

Mike, why would you want to take someone's word on what's "cool" in the city of Milwaukee, without getting to know them a little bit as well?

Your comments were rude and unecessary. Erin gives a healthy balance of both her personal life, and great things to do in the city. And if you would have taken the time to read her posts (instead of instantly judging them) you would have noticed that she previously warned all of us that for a few months...there was going to be little mention of Milwaukee (HELLO! PLANNING A WEDDING IS A BIG TIME CONSUMING DEAL!!!)..but that things would get back to normal soon. And they have!!!

Cutting down a Christmas tree is SOMETHING to do in MILWAUKEE. I say she's done her job =)

Lighten up a bit Mike and check out her left sidebar if you're still worried about what to do in this great town of ours.

[Krista]

Gosh, Mike. Good luck with making friends around Milwaukee. As a matter of fact, I know some people there that I can recommend to you. Wait. No. They're decent human beings. Nevermind.

Don't just happen upon a blog, read three posts, and then instantly judge it. This is what? Two years' worth of blogging? Did you take some time out of your clearly busy social life to read a bit more? Probably not. I've never read MORE about Milwaukee than I have here, and I lived there for four years.

Don't judge Erin. Or her blog. Just read something else. When people REGULARLY read a blog, they like to know a bit about the person who's writing it. Or, I guess if you were social, you'd understand that.

Go find your Milwaukee scene somewhere else.

[monkey]

mike, what exactly is your problem? i can't say for you for certain, but i know that when i load up this blog on my screen it shows about 23 entries or so. it's fair to say that half of them are based on things to do in and around milwaukee and the others are based more on erin's personal life. if you don't believe me, try counting, unless of course you're too busy writing out rude comments. i don't even live in milwaukee - as a matter of fact, i live over an hour away - but i don't seem to have any trouble finding things to do in brew town. if you're not interested in a particular entry, pass it by and move on; find something that does interest you. there is no need to become cruel and judgemental because it doesn't cater to your specific liking.

at this point, i'm even impressed you had a "friend" to refer you to this page. it's obvious they have better discretion than yourself.

[Andre]

Dave, I believe this is when you are supposed to start talking about the Brewers.

[Krista]

Go Brewers.

[Charlie]

wow...

If I didn't know better, w/ all this controversy I'd have thought you'd just gotten gay married and adopted a genetically engineered, North Korean christmas tree! :)

Erin, stop being so darned controversial!

[Dave]

I'm just pissed that he called our Christmas tree ugly.

Moving on...Craig Counsell? 6mill? 2 years? What's up with that?

[Andre]

He's probably just pissed that you won't put sweet tinsel on it.

And moving on, I'd say it's because they didn't expect anyone else to make a good offer even though they didn't have anyone in mind to replace him.

[Dave]

I don't think it would bother me as much if it were a 1 year deal. The idea of giving an average to below average 36 year old utility man a guaranteed 2 year 6 mill. contract with a 3rd year option is what irks me. Then again I'm just a fan. What do I know? In Doug Melvin we trust.

[Andre]

I think their plan all along was to hang on to him and just better anyone else's offer, but I think they just weren't expecting that they'd have to counter an offer like a starting second position.

[Erin]

I don't like when you guys use my blog to talk about the Brewers. Go start your own blog!

[Andre]

Okay, we're on schedule...

Erin posts something personal about what she did in the city?
Check.
Someone complains about Erin writing about her personal life? Check.
Me and a bunch of people start yelling at him? Check.
Dave starts talking about the Brewers to change the subject? Check.
Erin complains that her comments are full of Brewers stuff? Check.

I think all we're waiting on a now is a new post to really change the subject. :^)

[Krista]

Are you guys totally snowed in right now? I'm jealous.

[Jeff H]

I visit this site often and love it. However there some truth to Mikes comments about the wedding blogs. It was too much too often.

Of couse I knew that eventually Erin would get back on track. It looks like she did. I want to enjoy "Play In The City" as I've come to know it.

Congratulations on the wedding. Please return to our reqular scheduled programming.