Little Bear Tree Farm

We normally would be out of town on Thanksgiving break, but this year we
stayed home and hosted the big dinner.   It was the first time I had the whole week to
plan and prepare for Christmas.   The cards and annual letter were all written and
ordered a week before Thanksgiving,  which eliminated most of the typical
Christmas stress.
(I had pasted big notes all over my calender in October to
make myself plan ahead)   By the end of our break, the house was all lit up
with Christmas villages and our many Christmas decorations had taken over the house.
I think it's the first time since the kids were born that I have finished decorating so early.

We headed up the mountain to our favorite spot at Christmas time;
Little Bear Tree Farm.
It's a tradition we have carried forward from my family,
and I've been going there since birth. 

Travis's sister Amy was visiting
and we were so excited to take her with us!  :)

I wish there had been more daylight for us so she could have seen
all the beautiful places on the property.

By the time we found the right tree it was dark at the bottom of the hill.

 

 

Isabelle was a joy to watch.

 

 

 

"come on Mom!"

This is the ravine where we find the best silver tip trees, but the hills are very steep.

 

After sorting through an abundance of Charlie Brown trees, we found one that had several trees growing from the trunk.   It's not too noticeable, and it made our tree look very full for a silver tip.

 

The hills are very steep, which makes for great sliding.   I had to follow Isabelle and our bums were covered in red dirt.

 

Travis hiking out with the tree

 

Waiting for the truck to pick us up, Isabelle found the perfect seat.

The kids were not happy with our tree.  They liked the one they had named "twin towers" because it had two trees grown together with two tops.  Travis and I liked this one better because it looked more normal.

It's very tough to find a full silver tip to cut down.  Once they grow past 4 feet, the bottom gets very sparce.

Our favorite tree is noble fir, but they don't grow in California.

Luke was right; I do look like a vampire. 

 

I love these pictures of Isabelle hiking around the mountain looking for a tree.

 Those boots are too cute!

 

 

We ended our night with homemade cookies and fudge around the campfire.

On the way home I thought it was funny to see a car driving northeast from the valley up the mountain with a tree on top of their car.