The Eye of the Beholder

Last weekend the Nash family left the comfort of our warm, dry home and went on our annual quest to find the perfect Christmas tree. It's been our tradition since the kids were small, to find our Christmas tree on our own farm; and this year was no different. So off we went. We searched high. We searched low. We searched far. We searched wide. We searched north. We searched south. We walked miles. We braved the cold. We avoided angry beavers. We fought briers. We stepped in mud. We stepped in water. We got wet. We lost interest. We got desperate. We came home with a tree.
Any tree.
And this.......

......is why you leave the Christmas tree growing to the professionals.

Don't judge. It looked much worse before this photo was taken. Our poor little "Charlie Brown-esque" tree was a bit muddy from being dragged carried home. It was also noticeably thinning at the top and a little pudgy around the middle. After undergoing a little cosmetic tree surgery and some serious strategic nipping and tucking it looked a little better.

Anyway, we dried off, drank some hot chocolate and began to survey the situation. This sad little tree would simply have to do, so we cranked up the Christmas music and set to work. We added the lights, the vintage-style beads and a wide assortment of handmade preschool ornaments from Christmases past. We reminisced and laughed and laughed and laughed some more. When all was said and done, the tree was pronounced......
...... perfect. :)

At least it smells wonderful. And for the record, it looks a lot better at night.

[P.S. The pups got in on the Christmas spirit too. That's Cooper in the first photo looking for squirrels. The ugly plastic tree-stand is still visible because I had to remove our traditional tree skirt so Jude wouldn't chew it up. All the ornaments in the lower 1/3 of the tree have been removed for the same reason. Merry Christmas! ~cn]