When I graduated from Wake Forest and found myself living in Winston-Salem, I was intrigued by this idea of going to the “mountains” and cutting your own Christmas Tree. I didn’t really understand the concept, and couldn’t see myself as Paul Bunyan! I didn’t have a blue ox to help, but I did have my trusty daschund Gracie.
So like many of you, we headed up Hwy 421 and saw the myriad of signs for “choose & cut”. After the first year when I realized that I just select the tree and someone else cuts it and loads it onto my car, the idea of choose and cut became more appealing. As the years went on, I began to look for the “choose & cut” lot that was off the beaten path, and offered more than just trees. Alpacas, hot chocolate, shopping, or visits with Santa. The deeper into the “mountains” and the more they had to offer, the better.
Those days were truly, awesome. Special family memories made, including one year when our suburban died on the way up the mountain. That wasn’t the most fun year, but we did have some unforgettable memories and are grateful for friends who rescued us! We did still make it home with a tree.
The local tree lot has never been very appealing, unless it was getting close to Christmas and we needed a tree! Fast forward to 2020, when we found Rash’s Tree Patch right here in Buena Vista. In 3 hours we had visited the lot, selected a tree for inside and a tree for outside, and Rash’s delivery service had delivered, trimmed and set up both trees, anchored them, watered them, and made sure they were straight. We spent the rest of the day adding lights, decorating the tree, and laughing about messes made in years past when trying to get the tree trimmed, set up, and through the door. How tall are our ceilings again? Where were the trimmers that we used last year?
So twenty (something) years later, I think I have finally figured it out. Let’s head to the “mountains” and find an awesome “choose & cut” lot. Let’s marvel at the big trees, let the kids and Riley dog run around, snap some great pictures, visit Santa, and sip some hot chocolate. I’ve even heard that there is a “choose and cut” at a winery! (Thanks for the tip, Julie) The let’s head home, shop local, and save time, not to mention the paint on our walls and ceilings, and pay some hard working teens and twenty somethings to do the rest!
The best news? There is also a service to take down your tree. Does it cost a little extra? Yes it does. But after they take the trees to the street, no one is tempted to burn the tree in the firepit, and risk burning the house down. Just sayin’. Happy Holidays friends!