Running from the Law: Christmas Tree Shopping

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Christmas Tree Shopping



Every year, basically before the turkey from Thanksgiving dinner has even been fully digested, I start getting antsy and excited about getting a Christmas tree. Since the first year Ryan and I were in our house, we've made a point to buy a real Christmas tree from our local farmer's market. I grew up surrounded by fake plastic trees, so that first year with a real tree was a huge shock for me. The smell of the tree was intoxicating and filled the air with the feeling of Christmas. Despite the sap, the plethora of fallen pine needles and the inexplicable magnetism that draws the cat into the branches, having a real tree is totally worth it to us. So, this year, after the Thanksgiving dinner was devoured and the dishes washed, we hauled the kids over to the tree lot to pick out our perfect Christmas tree. 
Our local farmer's market is adorable. Every year for Christmas, it transforms from fruit stands and veggie displays to a magical world of all things Christmas. It's filled with rows and rows of the prettiest pines and sappiest spruces; tables of wreaths and garlands and boughs of holly; giant inflatables, candy canes and reindeer; plus an entire shop filled with treats, goodies, knick-knacks and ornaments. I could spend hours walking through the place, sipping my hot chocolate and sniffing the evergreen. But in reality, I have two impatient kids with me, so instead I chase them down the aisles and attempt to keep them from knocking over trees, while dodging in and out of the crowd around me and wonder why it is my children are always the most unruly and out of control, everywhere we go. 
Mac was given the tape measure and tasked with finding the perfect-sized tree for the space in our living room. Ryan guided us to the section of trees which would fit and set Mac to work. Meanwhile, he had to repeatedly drag me out of the section with 30 foot trees while I said, "Are you sure this one won't fit? Look how pretty it is!" Apparently, spacial manipulation isn't my strong suit. I get a little too excited about big beautiful trees and I think we have cathedral ceilings and room for a redwood, as opposed to the tiny space between the wall and the changing table we actually have in our living room. If we ever move, my next house must have room for the BIG tree. 
Mac has the opposite problem as I do and loves every single tiny tree he sees. The smaller the tree, the more he loved it. He'd say, "Look at this little guy. I love him. Let's take him home!" It was simultaneously adorable and obnoxious as he would literally pick them up and start dragging trees back to our car. 
We finally decided on a nice little spruce that would fit into our small space without a ton of sawing, cramming and shoving. The evidence from last year's overestimation of space/size is still obvious on the ceiling of our living room, so this year we went a bit smaller. I was slightly disappointed, but Mac was blown away with how ginormous the tree we picked out was. He attempted to carry it, but quickly gave up and settled for walking it to the car. 
With the purchase of our tree, we had the opportunity to get a family photo taken of the four of us next to all the pretty decorated trees. We stopped by the Christmas shop to pay for the tree, which is when the kids spied the most ridiculously messy suckers on the face of the earth and insisted on having them RIGHT THAT MINUTE. Silly me thought it wasn't a big deal and let them have them, only to watch in sheer horror as the kids were instantly covered in a thick red, slimy, sticky, sugar-coating all over their faces, hands and clothing. Trying to keep them from touching everything in the store was nearly impossible, so we headed back outside, where every loose pine needle on the block started sticking to them. Trying to clean them up or take away the suckers ended with both kids in hysterics and Ryan and I sprinting back to the car, abandoning the photo opportunity and cursing the stupid suckers under our breath. 
Eventually we pried the suckers out of their sticky hands, wiped them down with baby wipes and strapped them in their car seats while we loaded up the tree on top of the car. Lesson learned...no suckers until we get back home. So, other than the final 10 minutes, it was overall a pretty successful trip to the Christmas tree lot. We missed the family photos, but what kind of outing would it be if we actually behaved and got everything accomplished? That's just not how we roll...
Sara's boots: Khombu Abigail Snow Boot

All of our awesome winter boots are from Famous Footwear. I'm so thrilled to be working with this awesome local company again this season to show off some of their great styles for winter. The kids were both desperately in need of some new warm boots that they could play in, while I was really excited to snag a great pair of warm stylish boots to wear in the snow and to chase them around. If you want to see more photos of how people are styling their Famous Footwear finds, check out the #ohsofamous style gallery


What kind of Christmas tree do you get?


**I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

20 comments:

  1. I am so happy to see there is somewhere else, close to our new house, that sells Noble Firs. We get a Noble Fir from Sullivan's Tree Farm in Florissant every year. It's been a tradition since our first Christmas after being married. Jake and I both grew up with artificial trees as well and wanted to start a tradition of getting a real tree every year. It is a bit of a pain and much more expensive in the long run, but we love it! I just love the smell so much! I've only ever seen Noble Fir trees at Sullivan's and was hoping we'd find somewhere closer to the new house that sold them so that we wouldn't have to drive to Florissant every year to get our tree. I'm so glad to see in one of your pictures that the Kirkwood Farmers Market sells them too. Hopefully we'll be getting our tree this weekend. :-) We'll have to get a tiny one this year for our condo since the new house won't quite be ready before Christmas.

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  2. I love these photos - your market is so cute! We're fake tree people, 100%. Ours is even pre-lit because I don't want to mess with that either! I love the idea of a real tree but most likely it will never happen in my house!

    And yes, no suckers until you're home! Too bad you missed the photo opp!

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  3. Love this! In all the years we lived in Kirkwood I never went to the farmers market for a tree. My mom was allergic, which is probably why! Mims boots are on FLEEK! Hattie may need a pair of those sassy pink boots!

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  4. That Have your Elf a Merry Little Christmas is amazing. I always think Im good in spatial awareness and then I try playing basketball, nope, nope, nope. I would love to have a 30 footer! So grand!

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  5. You always make me laugh so hard!!! If my kid was there he would have picked the most horrible sucker also!!!! LOVE your boots!! Merry Christmas!

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  6. You guys captured some beautiful photos and memories!! Your family is adorable! We always go cut down our own tree. Such A fun time of year!

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  7. Your farmers market looks so dreamy! I love the reindeer cut out of logs! Oh my word so cute. And you got the most precious pictures of your sweet family. Love all of your shoes, too!

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  8. I am so envious of anyone who gets to go to farmers markets/farms/tree lots to pick their trees. I've been begging for five years to get a real tree. Each year I'm vetoed.
    Your trip looks like a festive and memorable one!

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  9. What a cute little market!! Mac holding the trees.. The best!! I love seeing everyone's Christmas tree experiences, I grew up with fakes and have a fake but maybe someday we'll go for the real adventure!! :) Love the boots.

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  10. I grew up with fake trees too (my brother was allergic to real trees). And then when I moved out on my own, I got a fake tree also. Then I discovered the AMAZINGNESS of the real tree last year and I was sold. NEVER again for a fake tree! I convinced Seth that we needed to go to our local tree farm last year and fell in love. So this year when he suggested Home Depot, I humored him and then told him I didn't like anything (which was only a half lie) and we went back to the tree farm! I just loved seeing Mason run around all the trees, looking to find the perfect one. I look forward to it all year long!

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  11. I love that Mac kept choosing the little trees! Maybe you should get him a mini one for his room?

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  12. I love that Mac was in charge of measuring! I am also team Big Tree and would go bigger if I could! Those two-story living rooms with gigantic trees are so stunning!

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  13. Such wonderful pics! Mac is just such a lil man & Mim's polka-dot pants - LOVE THEM! Your boots are pretty sweet too. I just love everything. :)

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  14. Aww, that looked like such a cool Christmas tree farm! Loved all their decor and you guys all looked so adorable shopping for a tree!!

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  15. Those boots are Famous Footwear?!? I love them!! As always, really great photos and a hilarious recap! Suckers are my nemesis! I have no idea why so many places give them to kids!!!!

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  16. I agree with you, the bigger the better! If I ever have a house with super high ceilings, I'm getting a 15 footer someday! I love that Mac thought yours was big regardless and even tried to carry it. What a cutie!

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  17. Nothing says Christmas like watching a normally lazy cat suddenly go into panther stalking mode and attack the tree every chance she gets. That's my mom's cat every. single. year. Good times. I want one of everything in that shop. Those tree log Rudolphs are adorable! And everyone knows that getting a group shot with two kids is impossible. If it wasn't the suckers, it would've been something else. Although personally I think a photo of the kids covered in pine needles would've been pretty cute ;)

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  18. LOL at Mac with the tape measure. Such a boy!! Yay for finding the perfect tree!!

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  19. I'm way behind, so I'm just reading this now. But those pictures of Mac and the tape measure, and the death grip on the little guy he wanted? I'm dying. Too cute!

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  20. I'm way behind, so I'm just reading this now. But those pictures of Mac and the tape measure, and the death grip on the little guy he wanted? I'm dying. Too cute!

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