Finding the perfect tree...or just getting lost in the deep, deep snow

I'm having a hard time remembering the last time we had this much snow.

We always go the Sunday after Thanksgiving to cut our Christmas tree. This year there was so much snow the Sunday after Thanksgiving we could not even get out of our driveways, let alone into the woods. And I'm not even exaggerating about the not getting out of the driveway part. I made it out, just in time to drive past mom stuck at the end of hers. Michael considered firing up the bulldozer to plow his way out from his hideout in the canyon. Gwen didn't make it with her first car, but did get out with the second one she tried. Our odds of making it anywhere to get a tree were not good.

It has stopped snowing a few times since then, and even though they eventually got most of the roads plowed at least once, no one has been driving up at the Stump Ranch. This means that where the road into the land usually starts, basically there was just a field of 2 1/2 foot-high snow. But there were traditions involved and all, so we all just started walking in. It was quite a hike just to get to the bottom of the hill and into the clearing where we usually drive to before we begin looking for a tree. After trekking down the road and through the trees and across the field I was pretty much done with the walking around. Lex (who now weighs nearly 40 wiggly pounds) was in a bad mood and wouldn't walk, or ride in a sled, or ride on my back, or talk to anyone else so I packed him in on my hip. Not so much fun.

Luckily, we ended up right at the favorite sledding hill. And the snow made for some pretty good sledding.

This is what it looked like last year.
(I didn't ever get around to writing anything about last year...I think that was when I was just using this to store photos! At least there are pictures.)

So, the kids were pretty excited about the sledding. That included some of the adult-kids.

Not a lot of tree-cutting happened.  Usually we all have multiple trees and bows and branches for decorating, but trees are as annoying as 40 pound children when it comes to dragging them through deep snow. But there was sledding (both down the hill and behind the trucks) and young children were allowed to chop things down with hatchets and saws and there was chili and Mom's cinnamon rolls and all the family hanging out afterward, so it all worked out.

My kids were really worried that they were going to miss out on these important parts of their year.

They already understand traditions.