One of my favorite traditions, originating in my own childhood, is going out to a tree farm and choosing a Christmas tree and cutting it down ourselves. In my youth, it always seemed to require a 3-hour drive (ok, so it was probably only about an hour, but you know how it is when you're a kid stuck in a car -- especially if you're prone to car-sickness), but as an adult, I understand the the
importance of
sacrifice when creating traditions -- the agony is the most vivid part of the memory :), and yet if for some reason we couldn't cut down a fresh tree, we kids were bitterly disappointed -- and I still feel that way as an adult! So today we loaded our kids in the car, drove for an hour and a half (real time, not kid time) to get to Sinnissippi Forest, a wonderful tree farm we discovered our first year here in Illinois. The trees don't seem to be as spectacular as the trees we used to get when I was a kid, but it was just as fun to wander through the trees, judging this one and then that one on their individual merits. This one's too short, that one is nicely shaped, but its too wide, this one's crooked, but its the right height, untill we find just the right tree. Emily's keen Christmas tree appreciation narrowed the choices this year to one lovely tree and everyone took a turn sawing until Daddy got serious and cut the whole darn thing down. While their trees don't seem to match those my family used to find in California and Oregon, Sinnissippi does offer a few entertaining activities that weren't available to us all those years ago, namely, free cider, cocoa and popcorn and freshly made apple cider donuts for $6 a dozen -- oh they are just so good! We also can't forget the hayride, courtesy of horses Charley and Marley, complete with jingle bells on their harnesses. I love being able to continue a tradition that means so much to me and to see my own children enjoy it as much as I did with my brothers and sisters long long ago. I hope be to be going to Sinnissippi for many many years to come. I've love to be like the family that lost their Grandma in the forest today, I can just hear it now, "Grandma Restuccia, where are you??? GRANDMA!!!!" And when they've looked behind every tree and checked every hayride, I'm sure they'll find me in the lodge working on my second dozen donuts!
