Guest post from Jamie Oliver
One of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions is the hunt for our Christmas tree. We cut our own every year. We hike out on our own property and find a Charlie Brown tree to haul home for the holidays. You could just as easily trek out to a nearby Christmas tree farm and get the “cut-your-own” experience, and I would say that the fun of the day is absolutely worth the time to look up a place to go and drive out there. It takes the experience from yet another holiday chore to a wonderful family memory. (Note: Some areas require a permit to cut down a tree; be sure and check before cutting.)
We like to make an afternoon of it and have been out even until almost dark before, hunting for that perfect tree. Having young children, here’s a couple keys to keep in mind to keep the whole day from backfiring into more stress then blessing.
First, we go before or after nap time, but never, ever, skip the nap. They’re going to be running around for a couple hours while you’re out, be sure they’re at their best and avoid the meltdowns. If you had to travel a ways to get there, that would be a perfect opportunity to schedule nap time in the car, either heading out or coming home.
Second, dress in layers, but dress warmly. You might be out and about for a while hunting up that perfect tree and nothing’s going to bring misery to the whole adventure faster than someone getting too cold. A small backpack is perfect for keeping hats, gloves, or scarves that aren’t needed right away at hand for later, or corralling them if anyone gets too warm and needs to peel some layers off.
Third, tell them what you’re looking for. Big, small, green…whatever. Give the whole family some criteria to hunt with and encourage everyone to participate. That’s what makes it fun for everyone. We tell our kids that it needs to be a green one, as tall as Daddy, and too wide to get their hands around. It gives them something to go with.
And lastly, have fun and take lots of pictures! It makes the memories sweeter to remind yourself throughout the year and have something to look forward to. We usually take snacks in the truck to eat before and after. It’s a great opportunity to break out the thermos and everyone share some hot chocolate and homemade cookies. We also love to use it as a learning opportunity and identify trees with them, notice neat leaves and grasses, and point out bird nests or rabbit holes. We tiptoe for a while waiting to see some deer, or shhhhh everyone to listen for squeaking mice.
Give it an air of excitement and adventure and your kids are sure to pick up on it and even take it on all their own. It’s one way we make the holiday preparations seem more like fun than like a to-do list to be checked off.
Read more on this topic with these posts!

- 7 Cost Increases to Prepare For Before Retirement -
- 5 Quick & Easy Dinners for Busy Days -
- Easy Steps to Get and Stay Organized in Under 10 Minutes -
- 5 Ways to Build an Emergency Fund with Very Little Money -
- Creating An Inviting Atmosphere In Your Home -
- Mouth-watering Garlic Herb Cheese Bombs -
- Animals And The Creativity Of God -
- Game Day Recipe Round up! -
- Heart-breaking News and How You Can Help -
- Quick & Easy – Planning For Your Best Day -
While this is great fun! I can’t touch a pine tree. My oldest was about 2 years old when I was putting the lights on a tree and every where a needle poked me,,,instant blistering! I had to purchase an artificial tree from then on. These are great memories, I have them from my childhood as well. Thanks for sharing!
My husband won’t let me have a REAL tree because we have carpet…and I’m bitter. 😉 I had one every year growing up, but not since getting married. And I”m bitter, did I mention that? lol
I LOVE the Carhartt apparel! My husband LIVES in his and it is too cute to see it on your boys (we have two little girls…NOT the same!) My daughter has such bad allergies we can’t have a real tree right now, but hopefully in the future!
That is one of my treasured Christmas memories from childhood: cutting down our Christmas tree. We’ve only done it once since we were married (because convincing my husband of the need for a live tree was accomplishment enough for the time being!), but when our kids are a little older (they are 3 and almost 1 now), we’ll definitely do that again.