When we were first married, Cameron informed me that a fake Christmas tree was not going to be an option for our family. My parents almost always went the artificial route when it came to trees, so I thought it sounded like a hassle, but agreed that he could have his way on this one. Because we were broke in the beginning, and spending 75 or 100 dollars on a tree that would end up in the trash was not an option for us, we started going to Kamas with the Reich's, where you could get a permit for $5 and then hike up into the mountains and chop your own tree down. That worked great for a few years. The tricky part was that we had to be in line at 6:00 am to get a permit and when we started having little kids, they weren't too fond of the process which included: waking up at 4:30 in the morning and driving an hour to Kamas; standing in line in the freezing cold for another hour or more; obtaining a permit and spending the next few hours hunting for the perfect tree; and finally strapping it to the car and driving another hour home. As our families have grown and changed, the tradition has evolved and changed as well. We lived out of state for four years, and after having a rotten
experience with a tree from a lot, we discovered fresh tree farms in Iowa and Maryland. One year, after moving back, we we to Mark's dad's cabin in Scofield, and drove from there to Manti to chop a tree down. This was the worst year ever... we had the dumb idea to pack a little picnic into one of the campgrounds in the snow. Everyone was miserable and Hayden screamed the entire time. Eventually, we started going to Cedar City for trees. We would make a weekend of it, and after spending a few days in St. George, we would chop down trees on our way home. A few years ago, we discovered this fresh tree farm right here in Alpine and WE LOVE IT! We go and pick out our tree and tag it in the fall when the weather is still warm. We come back after Thanksgiving and chop it down and bring it home. We still usually go to St. George with the Reich's in the fall, but don't have to hassle with the tree while we are there.
Who are these people, anyway?
