With Christmas just around the corner, a special tree is utmost on the minds of those who want a live Christmas tree. Choosing the right tree can be just another part of a Redding homeowner‘s holiday preparations, or it can be an adventure.

Tree Lot or Tree Farm?

Traditionally, tree lots begin to set up in Redding at about the middle of November, where they offer a variety of trees in an array of sizes and prices. If you want to skip the adventure and just get on with buying the tree and setting it up at home, this is for you. Usually for an additional charge, you can have the tree flocked to make its branches look snowy. You can also request that they nail your tree to a wooden stand.

There are tree farms as well, where a family can choose their tree and chop it down themselves. This feels a little more personal, and children can find it exciting to actually chop down their pick of a Christmas tree. Even if the tree lot happens to be steps from the freeway, the act of chopping your own tree is special. While not exactly an adventure, this serves some families just fine. The trees on the tree farms are grown with care, and it isn’t hard to find one everyone in the family can agree on.

Or How About a Christmas Tree Adventure?

The ultimate adventure is finding your Christmas tree in the great forests around the outskirts of Redding.

Before heading out, go to the Forestry Department and get a permit to cut tree. They’ll be able to direct you to where you’re allowed to find your tree and inform you of what size is legal to cut down.

Planning the day is part of the fun. Dress warm and wear hats, boots, and gloves, as it gets a little nippy in the forest. Some hot chocolate will warm your belly, as well as your hands. Don’t forget to bring a camera equipped for photographing the event!

Once you begin your search for just the right tree, you might realize that finding the perfect one really isn’t the most important thing about this adventure. Breathing in the crisp mountain air, walking on a carpet of pine needles, and listening to the wind whistling through the trees will be a favorite memory for your family for a long time to come. This simple act might even become a family tradition.

When you go out into the forest, the tree you end up bringing home might be a “Charlie Brown Christmas tree,” but it won’t matter. You probably could have purchased a tree from a lot for less money and effort, but the memory will be priceless.

Image Source: Flickr

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