christmas tree montana style {christmas 2012}

here we are on christmas eve 2012. wow! *i just accidentally wrote 2021 and then fixed it, but really it's not too far in the future, is it?!! okay side tracked :)


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hubby and i haven't had a tree for christmas in a few years. oh cause you know the last three christmases we were out of town for a surprise, our home was too small and lastly a little cross country move over the holiday last year. and since i LOVE real trees i thought this year was the year to do it right! 

i'm a big fan of real christmas trees. don't get me wrong next year i will have a small white one for the creative space, but there's nothing like the real deal. this idea is lost on hubby. all he sees is lifting, moving, dry pine needles and disposal. a real romantic huh?!  
so despite lots of protest, with bribing and our friends, we headed to the mountains to hunt our tree.

the week before i had picked up our permit at our local forestry office. i think a $5 permit and some gas is a small price to pay for a great tree and an adventure of course!! 

when hunting a tree in montana there are rules. like it can't be in a populated or touristy area, 100 ft from water, have to be under 12 feet, etc. 

our friends the phisters- who are friends from phoenix days- who just moved up here, joined us on the trip. the hubbies work together, and it's no secret that miss O is my favorite 4yr old! 

with the kiddos and dog in tow and saws and cameras in hand we headed to the red lodge area, about 1.5 hours or so from us. 

it's an easy drive and worth it to me to get a great tree. 

this is bandit, the phisters dog. he LOVED the woods! it's cool to see dogs in their natural behavior. we would have brought our dogs, but one had just had surgery, so we thought the jumping around and brush wouldn't be the best idea. next year! 

this is mr. W. he can be very serious. 

but he also has the best laugh!

he is beautiful. 

miss O getting an easy ride! 

so after much hunting, 

 and looking for unicorns by miss O, each picked out their favorites. 

i personally like the tall skinny trees that kind of swoop up at the ends of the branches. no perfectly triangle ones for me please!

 i mean if that's not hot, i don't know what is! 

 the scenery is just amazing in montana. i loved all the different types of plants and trees we saw. the dying and the living ones. 

some of these shots are definitely going up in the house.

bandit is really hard to catch with a camera in the woods! 

the phisters picked out a beautiful tree! 

these trees are pretty easy to cut down. the bases aren't that big, like the ones you buy or cut down at a farm. of course the studs made easy work of it! maria too seeing as she's all of 90lbs!! 

cuties!

mr. W has to be held back. he likes to get into everything! 

i think we all agreed it was a success! making a tradition out of it for sure! 

aaaaand here is hubby being his true self! 


and here is our tree! 

i love how simple it is. i like to actually see the tree when it's decorated! it's not that crooked- i just had the camera tilted ;)

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so how did your tree hunting go? are you a real or artificial tree person? spot any unicorns?

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here's hoping you and yours enjoy the holiday and each other. 
in our home we are so thankful for Christ, friends and family and each other. 
blessings!
happy monday :)