The Hunt is On

"TIMBER!"

I finally had the opportunity to use this word for its true purpose. This holiday season my family and I journeyed up into the magical Santa Cruz Mountains to chop down a Christmas tree. Ears popping with the altitude, and nose burning in the cold I trudged through the mud as the heavy fog turned to a light rain. Misty Mountain Hop played in my head. Every tree was perfect. How could we choose? We spent around an hour debating the tiniest details of a tree until no one cared anymore, so long as we went home with one. We finally agreed to a spectacular 14 ft. tall tree. It was a beauty! Sadly, we brought it home and realized that it would not fit in the house. It had to be cut.

It was heart breaking to watch it dwindle away as more and more of the trunk and its branches fell, severed, to the floor. By the time it made it to the living room and nestled in by the fire with the rest of us, it looked like it could have been any other tree from the lot. It stood only half of its original size, but we knew it was ours- our glorious tree.