Country Christmas: The (not so) Perfect Tree

As we have done in the past, we once again decided to go "au naturel" when it came to our Christmas tree.  This year, we headed to MeMaw and PawPaw's farm to find our perfect tree.

We loaded up in the Gator, and set out on the hunt.

We found several great trees, but ultimately settled on this beauty.

Mason was thrilled to use the real saw PawPaw had given him for his birthday this summer.  (I, on the other hand, was not quite as excited about the prospect of someone losing a finger!)

After cutting and loading the tree on the Gator, the real fun began...

As we neared the house, the tree suddenly leapt off the Gator and landed with a thud about 20 feet behind us (still not sure how that happened).  Mason immediately dismounted as well and began screaming at and beating the tree with a stick, while Brady looked on and sang "O Christmas Tree" at the top of his lungs.  There are no pictures because I was laughing too hard at the insanity.

But eventually, we had the tree loaded and were headed home.

Once we got the tree home, we realized just how ugly it really is.  The trunk is only about 1 inch in diameter, so the tree stand isn't really capable of even holding it up; therefore, it kept falling over.  Again, no pictures because there were no free hands available as we tried to stabilize and ever-so-delicately decorate the tree.  But here's the finished product:

Just how pitiful is this Charlie Brown tree?  Even the paper ornaments cause the "branches" to bend!

Yes, it's an ugly tree.  Yes, I still keep wistfully eyeing that tree in Southern Living magazine.  But yes, it was one of the best days ever...family, laughter, the outdoors...the true Christmas spirit and a memory I will cherish forever.