Christmas Tree is up!

Today we got our first Christmas tree together today!

We debated the cut-your-own fields, and we scoured two different tree lots, and then we found OUR TREE!

We decided against cutting our own, since there isn’t a speck of snow and everything is muddy after our heavy downpour yesterday (more on that in my next post). Dragging a tree out of a tree farm through the mud didn’t seem all Christmasy.

We settled on Edward Chisholm’s tree yard in the Canadian Tire parking lot. They always have trees moving there so we hoped they would be freshly cut. A lot of Christmas trees are cut here back in early November for export.

Did you know that is one of the biggest crops in Nova Scotia? Christmas Trees! Balsam fir usually. I would never have imagined a balsam fir Christmas tree. Balsam fir in the boreal forests of Ontario are thinly branched and known to be the most flammable of trees.

The balsam firs here are thick and strong and smell INCREDIBLE!

This tree yard also had a few pines. I like a pine Christmas tree, but wanted to try the traditional balsam fir of Nova Scotia first.

I always wondered how they baled the trees. When you see tractor trailers of Christmas trees going by on the highway (often exported to the US), the trees are all wrapped up. Now I know how they do it!

They use this baler. It has a motor that is started underneath with a pull start cord. The tree goes in, butt first, from the far side. The operator starts the baling twine around the base, and then grabs the bottom branches with 2 metal hooks that pull the tree through as the twine is wrapped briskly around the tree. Lickity split, the tree is bundled, and easy to handle.

And here is our tree!!

They say you should saw off the bottom of the tree before you pop it into your tree stand full of water.

Monty thought that piece of wood was meant for him, so he scooped it up as soon as it hit the porch.

We got a heavy duty, last a life time, tree stand manufactured in New Brunswick. It was really easy to use. Underneath I have Grandma Stock’s tree felt that she passed on to me a few years ago.

The tree was a little bit too tall if we wanted to fit our new angel on, and we did, so Jeff took it out to the porch to cut a few more inches off the stem.

And presto!

Jeff surprised me and told me to open my first gift. It it a beautiful Nova Scotia seagull pewter Christmas ornament that says “Our 1st Christmas XO” on it. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Here it is decorated!! Most of our Christmas decorations we received as wedding gifts last year. Every one is treasure.

And here is our angel for on top!

It smells really good in here! We put up the rest of decorations. I’ll get another photo of the tree for you once all of our presents are underneath it 😀