This post is sponsored by The Christmas Promotion Tree Board
I was born and raised in a tropical country, so real Christmas trees were rarely an option for my family growing up. Therefore, my first holiday season living in the U.S. I couldn’t wait to get a real live fir tree. I had seen so many movies of families picking trees and I had expectations about my own family’s experience.
Picking a Real Christmas Tree
When the time arrived, to pick the first real Christmas tree, I was a new mom of two living in a tiny apartment with plans to move the next January. Our first “real live Christmas tree” experience consisted of buying a tabletop tree at the supermarket. I purchased clear ornaments and let my 3-year-old son decorate them with dinosaur and butterfly stickers. Not what I had in mind at all, but a memory that I will forever cherish.
In the second year, I was ready to live the full experience and get a real full size Christmas tree. I went with my family to a local tree lot, and in my excitement, I picked the tallest and fullest Fraser Fir tree I’ve ever seen. It was so big that we spent three days decorating it and had to use a ladder to arrange most of the ornaments. In the end, I was super tired but delighted to have finally had the special and memorable experience with my family that I had always dreamt of.
Making it a Tradition
The years after that, I learned how to pick the right size tree and also I purposefully made a tradition of going to get our real Christmas tree as a family. Usually, the first Friday after Thanksgiving, we drive straight from school pickup directly to the local Christmas tree lot. We pick a tree together, bring it home, and decorate it with different ornaments. Over the years, we have built a collection of traditional ornaments, special ones that we buy when we travel, and ornaments that we inherit from our extended family.
“In a young and immigrant household as ours, the annual ritual of picking a Christmas tree has brought a timeless sense of happiness and has been a journal of our story”
Did you know that getting a real tree is not only a memorable opportunity for your family but also a meaningful way to invest in local business and the environment? For every real Christmas tree harvested another tree is planted in its place and your purchase supports farmers, local businesses, organizations, and their workers. No matter what kind of real Christmas tree you choose (there are so many different species to choose from!), I guarantee it will be a memory your family will treasure for years to come!
This Christmas: Keep It Real!
Now as we look ahead to the close of 2020, a year that has been such a disruptive one – I can’t wait to get our real Christmas tree and feel a little bit of normalcy. I’m craving the tradition, the joy, and even the smell. I’ll probably put a real tree in every room! This year picking my Christmas tree will be a testament that our family and the traditions that we hold dear are our most potent source of joy!
We can’t wait to continue our tradition of “keeping it real.”
Do you get a real Christmas tree each year? Tell us how you create special memories with your family! And I encourage you, this Christmas: keep it real.
Where To Get a Real Christmas Tree in Miami
Visit ItsChristmasKeepitReal.com and enter your zip code to find a real Christmas tree near you. Check out the interactive map and search filters to find a real Christmas tree where you like to shop:
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- Choose and Cut Farms
- Seasonal Lots
- Garden Centers
- General Retailers
- Home Improvement Stores
- Don’t want to go out to shop? Some retailers even offer online sales and home delivery.
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