Traditions this time of year can be such a tricky subject. How strongly do we cling to those precious moments and memories of the past? Do we start all over once we start our own families? If not, which should we pick and choose from our respective histories? 

Early in our marriage, Frank and I discussed this at length. Every year since, we revisit our perspectives and discuss it all over again. Which is lucky, because Frank specifically has done a 180 degree flip in how he feels about it. Years ago, he tried (unsuccessfully) to recapture a magical Christmas from his past. Several times he has done this, and to no avail. It dawned on him that it would be easier to let the past go and accept that his life and the lives of his loved ones are different now. That perfect Christmas cannot happen again as it was, but the next Christmas could be perfect in its own way!

We also recognize that, given our hopes and dreams of a nomadic life, we would certainly be setting ourselves and our children up for disappointment should we be too strict about certain traditions. The likelihood is we will spend many Christmases in new locations. We can’t necessarily expect to have an abundance of our own decorations, or a real tree, or specific family members around every single year. As time goes on, we will likely identify little things to try to keep consistent. Nevertheless, overall, most likely, no two Christmases will be exactly the same-and that’s okay!

How to Celebrate Victoria’s Second Christmas?

Even in our own marriage, we noticed how Christmas changes dramatically once you have your own children. We now have our sweet, darling daughter Victoria, and last year was her first official Christmas. She did not quite grasp everything going on, but now that she’s almost 2, she is a lot more aware. Thus, we decided this year to “go all out,” in our own way. We invited Gramps and Abuelita to join us in Chicago, where we would decorate our apartment, get a real Christmas tree and decorate that, and share many Chicago-based adventures together! Step One: Get the tree.

A treasured tradition of Frank’s past involved bringing the family out to a Christmas tree farm, selecting that one perfect tree, and cutting it down and hauling it home. Growing up in Cocoa Beach, my childhood consisted of nabbing our tree from the tents outside of our local Home Depot or the like. I had always wanted to go to a Christmas tree farm to get one, but they don’t have those in Florida. (My apologies if they do, they just weren’t near Cocoa Beach.) This year, we figured Victoria was old enough, so let’s do it! Frank found a nursery nearly two hours from our Chicago home. Thanksgiving came and went, which we spent in Sylvania with Frank’s side of the family and proved to be one of the most pleasant and lovely holidays either of us can remember. The following Sunday, we took our second little road trip to Hamlet, IN to Hensler Nursery, Inc. to find our tree.

Hensler Nursery, Inc.

This adorable location did not solely offer Christmas trees, no sir. First, Victoria met and took a picture with Santa! (Though she doesn’t seem to trust him yet…according to Frank, he smelled like beef and cheese, so the girl clearly has good instincts.)

Next, we stopped at various food trucks to enjoy a quick and delicious lunch. Thankfully, this lovely location had a designated indoor hall to sit and eat. We were supremely grateful for the chance to warm up and not have to sit out in the cold. We knew we would be cold enough as we hunted for our tree! One quick bathroom break and diaper change later, as dusk began to close in, we jumped on the tram out to the trees to find our perfect Fraser Fir.

We had Victoria bundled up as best we could, though like a dummy I forgot to grab a thick blanket. Yes, this poor decision-making came back to bite us later. We snagged a sled and small hand saw, and set out to peruse their selection. Victoria seemed to enjoy being dragged along in the sled for a little while, but she also wanted to be big and grown up, and she walked after Frank as I followed behind. It really is too crazy how quickly they grow up; that phrase seemed so cliché to me in the past. Yet, Victoria has developed into her own little person with a distinct personality already. It’s nuts!

Our Perfect Tree

Anyway, we eventually made it to the back of the first section of this year’s Fraser firs. To be honest, it had been pretty picked over already and we were not impressed by any of them. More specifically, they were not very tall, many had gaps in the branches, most were too thin, and some were clearly already dying. Luckily, Frank noticed that more options lay to our left. After crossing a small empty field, we found the remnants of last year’s options. Hensler marketed these at a steep discount as the “Charlie Brown Special,” which we found hilarious! Mostly because those trees were actually in better shape than the regular priced trees.

After a little additional examination, and with the sun slowly setting and the cold seeping into our bones, I found a tree that appeared to meet our standards. Frank looked it over and mused that it likely wouldn’t be quite tall enough once we cut it down. Nevertheless, neither of us wanted to go home empty handed, and I convinced him it would be fine. Spoiler: It was a little short for our high ceilings, but it is perfectly fine and doesn’t overwhelm our itty bitty living room!

Disaster Strikes

Frank made the first cuts into the tree, then corralled Victoria to “help” so she could participate in the fun. This, unfortunately, is where it all went wrong. No, the tree didn’t fall on her, and no, she didn’t hurt herself with the saw. No sir, the poor thing had had enough. She was too tired, too cold, and started bawling almost the instant Frank put her hands on the saw. We moved her away and took turns cutting the tree and trying to calm her down. Frank finished and quickly loaded the tree onto the sled. As we walked back to the front, the attempts to soothe her proved as fruitless as Frank’s struggles to recreate past Christmases. Victoria was inconsolable.

We hustled back to the front of the tree area to shake the excess needles and wrap our tree. She continued to cry on the tram back to the car, as well as in her car seat while we tied down the tree to the top of our SUV. The crying slowed and eventually stopped as she thawed, snuggled a blanket,  and listened to some of her favorite music (for those interested, cello music by Croatian cellist Hauser). Frank secured the tree as the remnants of a gorgeous sunset faded and snow flurries swirled, and we headed home!

BL ✅: Cut Down Our Very Own Christmas Tree

Verdict: If possible, I think it should be attempted at least once! Frank’s family has many delightful anecdotes about the multitude of arguments Frank got in with his parents growing up, as Frank always wanted trees that were Way Too Huge. Frank Sr. always put his foot down and selected a sensible one, which led to Frank sulking until he realized the tree his dad picked fit perfectly in their home. And repeat, year after year.

Victoria has many similar personality traits to Frank. I predict she would try and pull the same kind of thing if she were older. Thus, I don’t imagine we will be doing this Every year, but especially with another Nugget on the way, I expect we will head out to another Christmas tree farm at some point in our future. The hemming and hawing and arguing over this tree vs that one is part of the experience. Truly, it is worth the novelty and adventure of it all! As we reached the rows of trees on our initial tram, I said out loud to Frank, “I love everything about this.” And I stand by that statement!

Coming Soon:

Frank and I have finally made time to reevaluate the bucket list from our new current location. So prepare yourselves for a myriad of adventures to come, because we identified over 90 items within a roughly five hour radius from us! Our wheels are turning again, and we are so excited to share all sorts of shenanigans with you!