Why The Year We Cut Down Our Tree Is My Favorite Memory
So a few years back, my husband & I decided to pack up our one year old & to head the mountains for a good old fashion Christmas tree farm. We talked my parents & brother in to tagging along too, & we are all in agreement that it’s still one of our favorite holiday memories of all time. I mean seriously, can you think of anything better than hot apple cider, cool, crisp mountain air, & a breathtaking backdrop of Christmas trees? I sure can’t!
You can acyually stay at that adorable cabin in the background!
With as much as consumerism & gifting seem to headline the season, I think we all really crave Christmas traditions that are simple, & foster connecting with loved ones & living in the moment. These precious times represent & honor the values behind the season. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not on a high horse rant here, or acting like I don’t whole hearted jump into the craziness of the season as well. In fact, I think that’s why this family tradition means so much to me, & why it has been a memory held on my heart closer than any other Christmas activity or year. I spend two full days decorating my house the days after Thanksgiving, FULL days people. I feed my family pizza, with absolutely no guilt mind you, (hello, I just made a five course meal on Turkey day) & basically leave them to fend for themselves for 48hrs while I indulge in some fun & slightly stressful decorating. You’ll never catch me out on Black Friday, but I do shop the Cyber Monday sales, plan parties, participate in the fiasco that is family photos, take the kids to see Santa, bake the gingerbread cookies, house & whatever else Pinterest is showing me, & spend way too much time & money on the whole dang thing! I feel the “hustle & bustle” more than I care to admit, which is probably why the memory of hanging out in a cabin & walking rows of fresh pine is my warm & happy place.
Every year since that magical trip, we say how bad we want to go back. It was such a memorable experience that made us put our phones down & experience nature while appreciating our time together. It’s been a few years, as you can probably tell from the pictures. My daughter was itty bitty, & I clearly hadn’t discovered Limelife’s professional makeup & skin care yet ha! Hosting Thanksgiving has made the trip difficult, since we normally still have relatives in town through the weekend, & are too excited to hold off on setting up a tree. However, because we are itching to get back every year, & now even the most adorable tree tent seems lackluster in comparison, we have vowed to make it an every other year tradition. We will be on the road the day after Thanksgiving next year, & then again a couple years after that. This way we can still host Thanksgiving some years, & the trip will feel all the more special when we finally get to go again.
If you live somewhere you can cut down a Frasier Fir, you have absolutely no excuse not to go do this! There are some precious tree farms in the Lowcountry, but you can’t find a Frasier Fir. For this reason, we headed to Boyd Mountain Tree Farm located in the high elevations of Haywood County, North Carolina. The farm’s been in business since 1982 & has all the charm & beauty that I could never capture in an article or picture.
We decided to make a weekend out of it since the drive for them Frasier’s was no joke. It took about 5hrs to get there, so we opted for cabin outside of Ashville. We listened to Christmas music literally the entire way there, which for some of you may sound like torcher, but for us was heavenly. We spent the weekend exploring tiny town antique shops, playing outside, sitting by a fire watching our daughter play with blocks, & only turned the tv on once to watch the Muppets Christmas Carol. We even made a trip into downtown Ashville to see the beautifully decorated city.
We saved the farm for the last day for the obvious reason of not killing our tree. It was a long drive home directly from the farm, but the trip was worth it. We held hands, we laughed, we did all the things you see in a cheesy Hallmark movie, & everything actually played out the way I envisioned in my head. It was the stuff dreams are made of people. Of course, the drive home was a nightmare. My daughter screamed bloody murder for a quarter of it, we almost lost the tree, & had to make a number of stops which had my shortcut minded husband extra cranky. But those things were nothing in comparison to the beauty that the trip was, so let’s focus on the stuff dreams are made of part of the trip.
There’s really no place like Boyd. Their farm is breathtaking & they have a hospitality tent that is heated & stocked with refreshments. Hot apple cider, hot chocolate, Boyd Mountain Blend roasted coffee, spring water & of course holiday treats. I was extra excited to see they had ornaments for purchase, as it has been a tradition since Matt & I were dating to get a Christmas ornament every trip we take no matter what time of year it is. Along with holiday & gift items they’ve got fun & practical things too, like toboggans, wreath hangers, tree water spouts, & my favorite item…the MacDaddy of Christmas tree stands. If you know us, you know why we have a major appreciation for this thing, because at some point you’ve heard one of our stories, or were even called in to help us get our tree back up or clean the shattered keepsake ornaments. Yes, our tree has fallen multiple years, because we get a BIG tree & apparently had crumby stands. Pick up one of these gems & you’ll never have to experience the flow of tears over that tiny handprinted bulb in a dozen pieces on the living room floor. Which is good, because my husband made us walk every inch of that mountain to be sure we got the perfect tree, so it falling would have been extra devastating.
Yes, that giant tree went in our house
The trees & tent goodies are so good, they even draw Santa in. You can expect to see him & Mrs. Clause walking around & taking pictures with all the little ones. The experience that Boyd Mountain brings is one not to be missed. So start planning your visit, & make sure to bring a good pair of boots since the trees are literally on a mountain. Here are some links to help you plan your visit….
This is the VRBO we stayed in which is pet friendly. However you can stay on property at the farm here! We opted for something closer to Ashville, but this place is truly peaceful for a weekend.
Scout & Cellar’s Dove Hunt Cab to cuddle up by the cabin fire & the 2018 Conte De La Terre Chenin Blanc to unwind after that crazy car ride home.
