After venturing into the country, we arrived at our destination: Hozak Farms. Last year we went to Nutbrown's, which was really nice, but we were looking for a place that bails the tree since we no longer have a truck to just toss the tree in the back of. We were going to be putting it in our Sonata.
It was cold today. Really cold. So cold that with the wind chills it was in the single digits! We all bundled up with layers and I even wore my snow boots because they are so heavy and warm.
Scarves, double layers of gloves, ear bands, and eskimo coats were a must to keep warm!
Hozak's is much bigger than Nutbrown's was. Even as we were driving up Anderson Road (where Hozak Farms is located) we saw excess land full of trees for following years.
Me and the hubby were excited to find a great tree for our cozy home.
Peter picked out a sharp saw to make cutting the tree a cinch.
At Hozak's there were lots of trees...
Trees as far as the eye could see..
They had a great variety and tons to pick from. They even had huge signs by the different varieties to make finding the type of tree you want a very simple process. We knew we wanted to get the same kind of tree that we had last year, but none of us could remember what kind we had! So after exploring Hozak's and seeing the types of trees, we remembered we had a Douglas Fir. It's our favorite kind.
This picture was Paula's idea and it turned out pretty cute. Peter and I are both sporting a crazy smile :)
A day with Peter wouldn't be the same if he didn't act goofy at least once. I'm glad I can always capture it film for laughs later on. One of Peter's greatest attributes is his sense of humor. He always can make me laugh, which comes in handy if I ever need cheered up :)
Peter's searching for a good tree..
One day if we have a big enough house, we'll get a tree like this. It was huge!
I tried video taping Peter cutting the tree down like I did last year, but missed it. I did get this quick picture though.
This is one of my favorite pictures from the day. We ventured far away from the crowds so Peter and Paula were carrying the tree back to where we parked. Paula thought I should be in the picture, but I like it with them in it just the same. I can't explain why I like it so much, it just seems peaceful and Christmassy and fun.
They had this machine that they put the trees on before bailing to "shake it" and it was funny to watch. The guys loading the trees actually shook when getting the trees on/off it since the kept the machine always on. I was going to video tape this, but was running out of battery and didn't want the camera to die since the video option uses up more battery power.
And here our tree goes through the bailer...
Paula snapped this photo while we waiting for our tree to be done. As you can see, it started to snow while we were getting our tree which really added to the experience. We were all so excited for the snow falling!
Peter lugs the tree to the car for transporting it home...
...And one last picture from Hozak's of us and our great tree!
The roads on the way home were a bit icy since they weren't salted or plowed and we were up on a mountain side. So until we got back down on to major roads and towards the city, we had to go a bit slower. But it was so nice to smell the fragrance of the tree while listening to Christmas music on the radio and viewing the snow covered roads ahead. We had quite the Christmassy afternoon!
After getting the tree inside and arranged in the stand, we took a break to have dinner. I also put the branches we cut off the bottom of the tree behind the sled on our front porch to finish our outdoor decor. Earlier this week Peter and I had hung our outside lights and put up the outside decorations.
I made a yummy pasta dish with sausage, portobello mushrooms and green peppers. We filled our tummies and then trimmed the tree while George C. Scott's version of "The Christmas Carol" played in the background.
It was fun to put up the special ornaments we have. We received quite a few last year that we added to our tree this year. Paula also bought us some ornaments from the Arts Center which looked lovely with our other ornaments. I also have a Christmas plaid tablecloth that I used as a tree skirt. The one we had last year is too small for the big, heavy duty tree stand we have. I also bought ribbon at Michael's in January of this year, after Christmas items were significantly discounted so the ribbon was 29 cents per 9' spool. And it matches the tablecloth/tree skirt perfectly! And the last new edition to our tree is the star on top. I had been using a star ornament as a topper for the previous 2 years, but wanted a real topper this year to complete the tree better. It looks great with all of the other trimmings!
We absolutely love our tree this year! Here's the finished product, but this picture doesn't do it justice. As I sit here with just the light from tree filling the room, it's absolutely fantastic. If you're in the area, you should definitely come visit and see our awesome tree :P
And a few from the landing on the stairs:
Hope your St. Nicholas Day was as fun as ours!
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