Over Thanksgiving weekend we headed out to fill our Christmas tree permit and finally get started with the Christmas season. We love having a real Christmas tree and the experience of going to the mountains to find and cut down our own. With high hopes of discovering the perfect tree we drove to the Manti-La Sal National Forest and started our search.
We traveled up the snow packed dirt road until we reached a canyon filled with pines. Since we couldn’t see much from the road we bundled up and decided to hike further in. We passed up tree after tree; they were either too tall, too skinny, or too fat, and when we started to compare the different shades of green we realized we were being too picky and getting too far away from the truck to keep going. A little cold and discouraged we headed back to the truck hoping we would find one driving down the road.
After a few more miles of searching from the warmth of the truck we finally spotted our tree! With a little bit of work to get it hauled out of the icy ravine, we were so excited to have our tree officially chopped down, loaded in the truck and ready to take home to decorate.
On the way home we were laughing and joking about our day and realized that this wasn’t really about finding the “perfect Christmas tree,” but it was the experience of being together and memories made that are more important and create lasting traditions.
That’s one thing I did enjoy about Christmas in a cooler areas, searching and cutting a fresh tree. What a nice family day:) Glad you found a tree! Can’t wait to see it decorated!!!
It was so much fun going out to look for a tree and then taking it home! Made it really exciting to decorate knowing we chopped it down ourselves!
the snow looks absolutely beautiful!!!
It was so pretty up in the mountains!!!
Sounds like a beautiful family day. Christmas is my favourite holiday 😊
It was so much fun! I love Christmas too and having our tree up now just makes it feel extra cozy and like Christmas is officially here!
I love real Christmas trees! I love the smell of them. Never get to chop one down though- I just chose it from a garden centre.
The smell of them is the best!! As soon as you walk in the house you can smell the pine! This is the best season! 😊
Awww, this is precious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for reading!!
We always overestimate our ceiling height! Then we have to recut our perfectly cut tree.
It looks so much bigger when you get the tree inside doesn’t it?! Lol… we did the same thing!
I have so many great memories as a child growing up going out to pick out and cut the perfect christmas tree. It is all about making memories.
Definitely is about the memories! It was such a fun day! Just a bonus we came home with a really cool tree! Lol
Lovely! 🙂 x
Thank you!!
I have never had the pleasure of cutting down my own Christmas tree. I live in central Texas so Christmas tree farms are a little hard to come by down here. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it sometime in my life. Sounds like an experience.
Thanks for reading Marissa! It was a blast to be able to search the mountains for one we wanted to take home! Great experience for sure! Hope you get the chance to try it sometime!
Nice work getting your tree!
Thank you!!
Good job harvesting the perfect tree! Now, we need to see it installed and decorated. 🙂
Thanks!! It was so much fun!! We will have to post the finished product! 😊
That is so awesome. Ive always said how I want to actually go a christmas tree farm to pick out a tree but now after seeing this post I feel like such a rookie! clearly the mountains is where all the good trees are at! Thats such a nice tradition, i love it- cherish is for sure!!
xo, JJ
Thanks for reading Jenny! It was so fun to go explore and look for our own tree! Made it more of an experience for us too so when we took it home to decorate it was just a bonus! Lol…If you ever get the chance you have to do it!
Love this post! I remember cutting down our Christmas tree every year back when I lived in Indiana as a child. Great memories! And as my mom says, we always ended up picking the coldest day of the year to cut it down 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading! We lucked out going out on a sunny day to get our tree, especially since a huge storm came in the next day! Great memories for sure!
How fun! I’ve never gotten a real tree – it’s tough to do in FL!
It was really fun picking out our own! Thanks for reading!!
What a special and memorable tradition! And what a gorgeous day, too–that sky is stunning. Wish we had live trees in HI… we’ll be getting ours from the Matson refrigerator truck, lol! Happy to live vicariously through you. 😊
I definitely love the landscape and weather we get here! It makes it fun to be able to do things like this! The sky really was so blue and pretty this day! Although I must say I’m jealous where you live! Favorite destination spot for sure! 👍
Some of the best things about the holidays, what makes them truly special, are the traditions that couples and families create and maintain. You’re so right, it’s all about spending time together, and making beautiful memories!
Thanks for reading! Traditions started and created are the best! It’s fun to have special times to look forward to!
Beautiful photos. I always love thanks giving in US much better than UK x
Thanks!! It’s such a great holiday!
This is something I hope we can do one year! Go and cut down our own =)
I hope you can too!! It was really so much fun!!
I so want it to snow here 🙁 Plus you are really motivating me to get a real tree this year!
We just got a big storm this week that dumped lots of snow! Fun to look at and make it feel like Christmas is coming… but horrible to drive in! Lol 😬
I love your writing style! I felt like I was with there with you, breathing in the pine and fresh air. Enjoy the season!
Thank you so much for he kind words! 😀 I love the smell of a fresh pine tree too!
Aww what a fun memory! You got some really beautiful photos too:)
Thank you Joanna!
What a unique adventure. We don’t live near anything like this but I could imagine it being an incredible bonding experience.
It was definitely a really fun day! Picking out our own tree and taking it home to decorate made it extra special! Thanks for reading!
Nice post! I like how you included pictures throughout, it looks phenomenal out there!
Thank you! It was so pretty!!
Great tradition! We used to get real trees when I was younger. I may have to start that tradition with my family now. By the way, I really enjoy your blog and I have nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Check out the details here: https://theadventuresofadayhiker.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/the-sunshine-blogger-award/
Wow thanks so much! That’s awesome! We are so glad you enjoy reading our blog! Cutting down our own tree is a really fun tradition we started!
I love tradition. And I love the smell of fresh pine. I hope you have your tree nicely decorated now and are thoroughly enjoying it.By the way, thanks for stopping by our blog today, it was great to see you!
Thanks for reading! It’s decorated and feels and smells like Christmas! 😊
I love this story!!! It makes me think back to when my hubby and I got our first real tree together….we were hiking so long we picked one we thought was amazing – but when we got it back home, realized it was a Charlie Brown tree – but we LOVED it anyways 🙂
It definitely looks a little different when you get the tree inside doesn’t it?! Lol… we had a similar experience! But I still love it every time I look at it knowing that we picked it out!
For goodness sakes – how to make other people feel pathetic. I couldn’t be arsed to get the fake tree out of the attic this year so have shoved fake berries in a jar with lights on it. Bah Humbug! 😆
So very true and it is moments and times spent like this that stay with us forever.
🙌🙌
It’s so cool that you got to cut down your own Christmas tree!
You are so correct it’s all about time spent together talking,laughing making forever memories.Beautiful shots as always !
I have never had a real tree let alone gone out and chopped one down. I bet it smells amazing!