Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

For close to two decades now, my family has gone on a "hunting" expedition for our Christmas tree.  We do not hunt in any of the usual places like the Ikea or Home Depot parking lots or the cut your own Christmas tree farm; we hunt in the forest for a tree au naturel (and as an added bonus - free).

The quest to find the biggest and best tree out there that (more or less) fits into our living room is a family affair.  Some years we have had only two hunters and other years we've had many more.  This year we had our best turn out yet - seven human hunters and two dogs - a family record!

In the early years, Dad and I would head out with our trusty hand saw and keen eyes as our only tree cutting resources, but as the years have passed, our tree cutting tools have increased in power...and yes, also admittedly in redneckness.  This year, we cut down our selected specimen with a chain-saw.  No kidding; though when you see the size of the tree we picked, you might understand.