Dead Trees for Sweet Baby Jesus

Frankly, getting a Christmas tree here at The Hipster Home had never occurred to me. At least not until it was suggested by some friends whose recent cohabitation meant no pesky housemates would oppose the idea. Dinner plans turned into dinner and pre-cut tree shopping. And that tree shopping turned into a full-blown tree chopping adventure a few days later.
The Mr. grew up in the Bay Area and knew that there were tree farms nearby where we could pick and chop down our own tree. What luxury! I thought picking your tree from the frosty wilderness was only something that happened in J. Crew winter catalogs. But no. Oh no, it is a reality here in northern California. But only if you’re willing to suspend the belief that there is snow on the ground and a sleigh involved. This trip to Santa’s Tree Farm & Village was a magical journey complete with faux gum drop bridge.

We pulled into the tree farm entrance, rolled down the window and were immediately handed a saw and map outlining where the various tree types were growing. Wait a second, type? We have to pick the KIND of tree? Is this like the bunny ranch, pick your flavor from a lineup? Yes indeedy. Good thing we knew that a Noble Fir was the tree for us. I don’t know why the Mr. likes them, but I dig ’em because their trunk is covered in evenly spaded needles. I think everyone was grossed out when I compared them to unshaven lady legs. But guys, that’s what they look like!

You park your car next to the various lots and have a look around. Here was one candidate for us but it wasn’t a noble fir. This white fur was pretty and very, very blue compared to other trees.

Success! But not for THH. Our friends found a very cute white fir to take home.
My only tree requirement, besides wanting something slightly oddball, was that the tree had to be taller than me. But apparently that was a tall order (har har) since most of the noble firs were on the smaller side. To the next lot!

Did I mention this place was big enough to DRIVE between lots? This is probably a sixth of the whole compound.
We were racing against time and mother nature after we loaded up the first tree. Santa’s Tree Farm closed at 6pm since, as you’ll see, that’s when it gets dark out. So if you want to pre-view your tree, ya better hustle.

Ah ha! What is this little guy doing here? He must be the lucky winner! This lil fella will bring the delicious scent of Christmas to this Hipster Home.

His days are now very numbered.

Homeward bound! After watching other much larger trees get pushed through the webbing, we felt pretty good about the two lovely trees we found for our homes.
If you’re not a fan of bugs showing up in your house after the fact or are against the killing of trees for a holiday, then this isn’t the route for you. Hitting up the tree farm was a fun event but I think enough for this lifetime. If you love the holiday scent and are willing to drive a little to get a MUCH cheaper, fresher tree, then I definitely recommend tree farm!
Beware the tinsel tree experiment next year…