Eric and I bought our first real Christmas tree last year and this year we thought about the advantages of owning a fake tree.
- Artificial Christmas trees last longer than real trees.
- My apartment manager doesn’t consider them to be a fire hazard.
- Most people usually keep their fake tree for about ten years.
- They are less messy since they don’t litter the floor with pine needles.
Even with these advantages in mind, the fresh scent of pine and the overall experience of finding a real tree swayed our decision. But instead of simply stopping by Steins and picking out a tree, we decided to go to a u-cut tree farm where we could get down and dirty and saw the sucker down ourselves.
Last Sunday was freezing, so by the time we hunted, examined, sawed, hauled and paid for our tree, our legs had turned into two ice blocks. Still, we gladly spent our time leisurely walking around Buffalo Bill’s Christmas Tree Farm for most of the afternoon.
Following a quick and filling breakfast at our George Webb restaurant, we drove the 25 minutes or so to the tree farm in Franklin, that is, after we stopped to get Eric some waterproof gloves at Wal-Mart. After the third or fourth snowstorm – I’ve lost track of how many – we’ve experienced since December first, we realized on our way that not only would we be braving the cold, but heaps of snow as well.
With Christmas music playing in the car, we followed the hand-painted signs that pointed us toward Buffalo Bill’s and we were eventually lead up a driveway lined with plastic soldiers, candy canes and Santas.
After parking, a girl dressed as an elf with red painted cheeks greeted us and 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. She wished us “Merry Christmas” and told us to have fun and we went on our way.
As we walked over to the rows of balsam firs, we passed by fenced-in goats and sheep and saw a blazing bonfire that had just had another log tossed onto it. The place was crowded with families and couples roaming around, even though it was very cold and gloomy outside. Despite weather, everybody was in high spirits.
We wandered up and down several rows of trees, surveying each one. Some were too short, others too sparse, and some were waiting for Charlie Brown to come and rescue them.
Finally, we found our tree!
A couple who were appraising trees near us said that it was the best one in the field and I had to agree. It was a perfect 8-foot-tall fir that was full and bushy.
Without hesitation, Eric got on his knees and started to saw. It required strength to keep the saw moving back and forth, so I let Eric do most of the work considering I have absolutely no upper body strength even after my morning push-ups. After some struggling we realized that if the tree is held at an angle, the sawing is a lot easier. So, I volunteered my hands and held the tree on a slant while Eric completed the cut with ease.
I carried the saw and the trunk of the fir while Eric grabbed a hold of its front and lead the way to where the trees are wrapped up. The tree was taken from us and was placed on a machine that shook it to remove any snow, debris or loose needles. Then, it was lugged over to another machine that bundled it up in tight netting. Once the tree was wrapped up we were given a ticket and were instructed to go inside to pay.
Inside the trailer, kids were decorating ornaments and gorging themselves on the complementary cookies while their parents warmed up over free hot chocolate, apple cider and cappuccino. A few people grabbed some of the free dog biscuits for their furry friends who waited patiently outside as well. While we waited in line to pay, we grabbed a Styrofoam cup and filled it to the brim with cocoa to warm our frozen hands. We paid our $49, and then Eric grabbed some cookies before heading back outside.
Before collecting our tree, we decided to enjoy a free hay-ride and waited patiently with a mother and her children by the fire. The sound of a ringing cow bell indicated that it was time to load up. Eric and I tried to find a hay bail to sit on that wasn’t covered in ice or snow and ended up taking a spot next to Santa Claus, who decided to join in the fun. Next time we will remember to bring a blanket to sit on; our bottoms were quite wet by the time the ride ended. But we hardly noticed the cold as we road along the bumpy trail singing carols lead by St. Nick himself.
Following the hay-ride and a short return to the bon-fire to warm up again, we decided it was time to head home.
We hauled the tree to the car and hoisted it on top. Now, this was the tricky part. Eric went to get some twine and began weaving it over and under the tree and in and out of the car. It took several minutes, but we eventually felt it was safe and secure; although once we got into the car we were surrounded by rope zigzagging around our heads, which probably wasn’t the safest way to drive home. Nevertheless, we left the farm happy and pleased with our tree choice.
The free snacks, the ornament decorating, Santa Claus walking around talking with kids, the elf with the red cheeks, the farm animals and the bonfire all made it a great experience that we will talk about for years!
Despite our worries that the tree might fall off as we traveled the highway home, we had a pleasant journey and made it back to Eric’s place safely with the tree still secured on top of the car.
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Buffalo Bill's Christmas Trees
9612 W. Oakwood Road
Franklin, WI 53132
(414) 427-5155
Next time:
waterproof pants and a saw to re-cut the bottom of the tree when we get home...
Posted by: Eric | December 19, 2007 at 11:55 AM