Decking the Halls Today!

We decided this year, since moving into my in-laws log house, and we have more room (and it's just really cozy!), we wanted to have a tree upstairs and a tree downstairs in the dining room. We decorated our artificial tree upstairs. We wanted a live tree downstairs. We talked about buying one at our local grocery store...but, we really wanted to do something as a family and make it more traditional. So, we packed our saws in our pick-up truck and drove around to our back hayfield.

Now, with us, we don't do things just the simple easy way. We almost got the truck stuck in the mud. And almost slid it into the woods and over a hill. That was with our 4-wheel drive locked in. But, after a few minutes of sliding, Emily going into panic, and me trying to tell my husband how to drive...we managed to get going again on solid ground.

We found a tree right away that we thought would do just fine for us. But, figured we should walk the woods to look around, just in case.

We made sure we wore some hunting orange, it was the last day in Ohio for gun season. We didn't want anyone to think we were a bunch of deer running around. 

We ended up going back to the first tree we found. Which worked out good because it was close to our truck. We measured it. It was almost 10 feet tall. No problem! We used the bottom branches to make some decorations for around the house and I'm still working on more of those.

The tree is not what you will find at a tree farm or a tree lot. Our trees in our woods have not been pruned and shaped. But, I actually like that. It's so simple and primitive. It gives our dining room a cozy feel. And I used a lot of handmade ornaments on it, and that really adds to it.

I made several decorations to hang above the doorways. I think they turned out nice, and they make the house smell amazing! I love the pine smell at Christmas! 

We had a lot of fun doing this and I think Emily is excited to have a live tree this year! Even if it is a "Charlie Brown" tree. :)

Hope everyone is having a lot of fun this Christmas season!

Enjoy the simple things!