I have always had a live Christmas tree. Except for the years when my husband was deployed and I had a baby to take care of, which forced me to opt for the ease of a store-bought tree, I've always spent a weekend at the end of November or beginning of December picking out the perfect cedar, spruce, fir, or pine. There's just something special when the focus of your Christmas decor—and the symbol of your Christmas memories—is not just a thing, but a beautiful living piece of the world.
I've heard great things about Christmas Tree Lane at Waterfront Park (on Witherspoon between Preston and Floyd downtown). They're open from 8:00 am - 9:00 pm now until Christmas Eve, and besides a wide variety of trees, they also sell wreathes and garland. They'll even tie your tree to your roof for you.
But if you want to make a day of tradition by cutting your own Christmas tree—and I do think every family should, at least once—there are other good options. You could head up to Huber’s Farm in Starlight, IN and take a free tractor ride out to one of their fields. We got a great price ($25!) on a Norway Spruce from dealchicken.com, and although this particular tree is not my favorite in the comfort department (it would be a terrific tree for a house that includes a nosey puppy or a curious new crawler—after getting stabbed once by those prickly branches, the little one wouldn't dare go back), our experience was priceless. There's just something about wandering through a small forest of conical greens—you can practically hear them shouting, “Pick me! Pick me!”—letting the kids choose their favorite, deliberating which one is too tall, too fat, or too full of holes, then finally going belly-down on the ground with a handsaw.
Another good option is the Sleepy Hollow Tree Farm, located in Prospect on the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course. This place doesn't provide all the bells and whistles that Huber's does, but the trees are beautiful, the people are nice, and you can find a Douglas Fir, White Pine or Scotch Pine for about $7-10 per foot. There's just something about cutting down your own tree.
For more information about Huber’s U-Cut Christmas trees and to print out a $5 off coupon, visit the website.
Sleepy Hollow is open Saturdays from 10:00 am-6:00 pm; call 963-3319 for other hours.
Photo: courtesy of shutterstock.com
