Alden has been talking about Christmas since the middle of summer, proclaiming it her “favorite holiday,” and asking daily how long it will be until it arrives. Robbi, a firm believer that no holiday is to be celebrated (or noisily anticipated) until its proper season, maintained a stiff gag order until Thanksgiving had come and gone. But since then, and for the last week or so, in particular, we’ve been hearing daily from Alden about all the other kids in school (with cooler, nicer parents, apparently) who already have their Christmas trees. Tired of such unflattering comparisons, we decided to give in.

And so we drove out to Still Pond, a town nearby, to visit the Simmons’ Christmas Tree Farm.

Simmons’ is a family operation that has been running for 23  years. In addition to offering a variety of nice trees, they are a full-service operation.

For example, if you want to cut down your own tree, which we did, they provide a leisurely hay ride out to the field where the trees are.

We waited our turn.

And climbed aboard.

Alden and August were excited.

 

Kato was content to play it cool.

Of course, we all posed for the obligatory group shot. It is an established fact that five people cannot (will not?) all look at the camera at the same time.

When we got there, it was trees, as far as the eye could see.

Alden and Kato went searching for the perfect specimen.

 

August and Robbi were content to admire the trees nearby.

Alden proclaimed she had found the winner, but we persuaded her that the tree, like herself, could use a few more years to grow up before it would be ready to shine.

Eventually we all settled on the perfect tree. As the appointed tree-cutter, I crawled underneath to have a look.

It’s unclear whether Alden was on board with the group’s decision.

Nevertheless, she joined me in celebration once the deed was done.

She seemed favorably impressed with my sawing skills.

I felt a shiver of accomplishment something akin to what the mammoth hunters must have felt at the end of a successful outing .

Back at the shed, the various Simmons tended to our tree, first putting it in a machine called the Shakee, which vigorously shook the tree to dislodge any dirt and loose needles.

Then they bagged it.

Kato was notably unnerved that our tree was now “captured.” We assured him that it would be liberated soon enough.

And then they took out the chainsaw and leveled off the cut.

Then we went inside and enjoyed some free hot chocolate while watching a model train go around and around and around.

We eventually had to tear Kato away with promises of Procolino’s for dinner.

 

Home again, I hoisted my quarry. I was tempted to have it stuffed and hung on the wall, but instead, I carried it up the stairs and took it to the far corner of our big room.

A few adjustments to the Christmas tree stand and…

The magic was under way.

Alden insisted we begin hanging the ornaments immediately.

And why not? We only get to enjoy a Christmas tree for a few weeks a year. Why not squeeze every minute out of it?

August was not invited to hang ornaments, so he made his presence known in other ways.

Although this is technically his second Christmas, he was only two weeks old for his first. And so this is his first chance to bask in the wonder that is the Christmas tree.

If you live anywhere near Chestertown and haven’t yet gotten your tree, definitely check out Simmons’. The folks were nice. The trees were great. The prices were reasonable. And the hayride was a blast. They are open Saturday and Sunday from 9-5.