Oh, Christmas Tree

I love family traditions, and the Christmas ones are the best!

When I was a little girl, my family would pile in the car and travel to Doylestown, Ohio to pick out our Christmas tree. It's a small town where you'll find the Galehouse Tree Farm, a family-owned business complete with any type of Christmas tree you'd ever want. Plus, they have a great Tree House Gift Shop with hot cider, popcorn and the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees imaginable.

We'd pick out the biggest Christmas tree possible, and then my dad would jerry-rig it to our car. We'd spend the next half hour frantically holding onto the tree as we traveled back home, singing Christmas carols the entire way. Once we were home, and the tree was upright in the stand, my dad would string the lights. We'd then grab our favorite ornaments and decorate the tree. Each ornament had a special meaning in our lives, so it was a great opportunity to reminisce.

Well, now I'm older, and I live approximately 2,400 miles from Doylestown. Needless to say, Ryan and I have started our own family traditions when it comes to Christmas. Fortunately, some things never change. We still get the biggest tree possible, hanging the lights remains a challenge and our ornaments continue to reflect our lives together.