project: december daily. december 18th.

welcome to day 18.

when making this page at the start of this journey i knew it was going to be a big one. i knew we were going to be picking our christmas tree, i knew we were doing it with extended family and i knew i wouldn't be able to edit my photo selection. for this reason i created fold over pages and dedicated one side to the search for the tree and one side for the trimming of the tree. this is our journey. enjoy.

 
searching for the perfect tree | we found this great place where they take you on a tractor hayride out to the fields and you roam around, chop down your tree and they load it up on the tractor and eventually wrap it for you and load it on to your car. the last part is done while in a unbelievably rustic and romantic shack sipping hot chocolate and browsing all the homemade canned goods they have for sale and you find yourself buying $6 tequila red pepper jelly and bread & butter pickles because you just have too.

 

new tradition - a new ornament for each child presented at tree trimming time. a tradition that will be repeated for the years to come and eventually they will have a base for when the time comes to trim their own tree.

trimming the tree | this year we have put it front and center in the living room and for once have to decorate right around as to give the passer-by's a chance to oohh and aahh along with our guests.
(if you look real close you can see my reflection in the ball)

the finished product.

there will be a journaling page sandwiched in between the pages coordinating sides dedicated to each part of the day.

journal:

christmas tree day! we all got ready, piled into the car for the 45 minute drive. sang carols along the way and talked about chopping down our tree. i'm so glad that this is something we can continue to do even out here in quebec. finally made it, jumped on the back of the tractor and we were off. snow-flurries were dancing around us as we traveled through the fields of pretty christmas trees. magical. we jumped off the tractor in the fresh snow and hunted down our tree. 2 snow angles and a snowball fight later we found it. daddy cut it down and he & uncle richard pulled it back to the tractor. back at the farm we stopped at santa's workshop for hot chocolate & cookies an then it was time to come home and trim the tree!

we all pitched in and she looks wonderful! coop you had a little trouble with the ornaments but you sure made us giggle. aydan you were a big help - a truly wonderful big sister. every year you kids get more and more involved with the traditions of the season. it's wonderful to see your excitement and joyful (and willing!) participation in the whole of events. these are the moments where you really show your personality and how you have matured as a person since the year before.
we celebrated the day by opening one present each from auntie kim - a big board game book for aydan and a puzzle book for cooper.
new tradition: a new ornament each year for each kid. given at tree trimming time. this year coop got a nutcracker and aydan a bird - like lola-lee-lou.



the before pages: