Getting the tree

Sunday was the perfect day to go get our Christmas tree. Crisp and clear and cold.
So we all bundled up and headed out for our annual trip.











Photos are always a great and easy way to tell a story. But as I look at the photos of this day I realize it is not always an accurate way to tell the story. By just looking, you would think that we had a lovely family day out. Happy together while we choose the perfect tree, take turns using the saw to cut it down, and then cooperate to carry it all the way back to the truck. Paints a pretty picture, doesn't it? Oh....if only....
More accurate would be... whining because "Mom never likes the tree I choose", fighting over the saw and who gets to do the "final cut", bad attitude from a certain 13-year old over who knows what.
But that is not really the way we want to remember things, is it? So we continue to go on family outings even though it sometimes doesn't seem worth it. We continue to take pictures and yell at them to smile. Why? So we can remember all the happy times we had together as a family.
My. this post is starting to sound very cynical and bitter isn't it? Sorry...that is really not very keeping with the holiday spirit. I am not cynical, nor am I bitter. I am just trying to be real and honest about the everyday challenges of being a family. It's not always the way you imagine it will be, but as I look back on all the family outings we have done over the years, I remember the good stuff way more than I remember the not so good.
And we ended up with a lovely tree and stopped to have some hot chocolate and snacks before driving home.

Truthfully though, family outings can sometimes really wear you out.