Real Christmas Tree Cutting

THIS is real tree cutting.  No farm grown, pruned to the max trees.  These trees grow naturally on a mountain requiring some hiking and work. They are grown in a way called "stump culture." If you cut the tree above the ground, it will grow back.  The stump sends out a new tree to the side of the original central leader.  Green. We have cut trees here for years.  The excursion-45 minutes up into the hills-is as much a part of our Christmas as decorating the tree.

Gauging the size of a tree which is growing way above you takes some skill.  Any tree-and that means sizes up to anything you could fit into a house, or outside-is just $25.

With this kind of re-growth the trees sometimes grow up high.  J is cutting it at about 5 feet off the ground.

The kids used to fight over who got to make the final cut.  And then the tree usually "fell" on somebody by accident.

Which to choose up there.

It is nice to live in a place where honesty is alive and well.

Notice how the trees are growing above the place where they were cut once long ago.

Best old truck around.

The tree is about 3 feet out of the 6 foot truck bed.  That gives me lots of balsam boughs.

It is always worth stopping in town to see the falls.  Brrrrrr.

We call these "pot holes."  This one is very deep, and in summers past, we used to swim there. (Sadly, due to out-of-towners, and people with no sense of sobriety or danger, None of us may swim here any more..  Very , very . sad.)

I LOVE the old fashioned, big colored bulbs across the street.  Just hot chocolate and some gingerbread cookies for us tonight.  But there are wonderful restaurants and a deli, a candy store here.  Please look up Shelburne Falls, MA.

Bowling.

I probably take all my visitors to Shelburn Falls.

Festive, and just busy enough.

The famous "Bridge of Flowers"

Imagine this with a little dusting of snow--magical.  The night after Thanksgiving, the whole village is lit with luminaries, up and down main street, across the bridges and along the river.