Cut your own tree (Southeast Connecticut) & My "Travel" tree

Nothing says Christmas in New England like heading out in the snow to cut down your own Christmas tree at a local tree farm.  Hand saws, hot cocoa, snowflakes and Christmas carols, oh my.  There is something to be said for supporting a local farmer, and picking your own blue spruce in the field of many on a cold snowy weekend in December.  Living in Utah, we typically had to go the "pre-cut at Lowe's" route and I can say with certainty that tree was already long-gone-dead-as-a-doornail before it ever made it into our apartment (read needles-everywhere).  If you are a little leary on cutting down a tree every year, let me put your mind at ease and assure you it is the better option compared to buying a fake tree.  Last year, I wrote a post about the advantages of buying a real tree vs. fake tree, including some tips on cutting your own tree and my visit to Perry's Tree farm here in Stonington.   

This year, I did things a little different, wanting to support different local tree farms, and reached out for suggestions.  I posted in my local town community forum on Facebook (sounds odd, so useful) and was surprised to see the number of responses.  Friends, strangers, and neighbors posted about their favorite farm, why they enjoyed it and even shared prices.  I read through the forum, and put them all on a map to see who was closest, priced fairly, and had a great review-- I even put them all on a map. Finally, I settled on Yetter Road Christmas Tree Farm, a quick 15 minutes down the road in Mystic, Connecticut.  I grabbed Olive and several winter layers, cash and a pair of gloves, and headed out the second weekend of December on a Saturday morning while the snow fell outside for our first snow storm of the season. 

Yetter Road Christmas Tree Farm

Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association- Yetter Road Christmas Tree Farm

• Head to the link (above) to see their hours and details.
• Dog-Friendly (on leash)
• Walk around and choose your tree but they cut for you.  
• Head out on the farm, choose your tree, and flag down (wave) the guys on the quads.  They will come over with a chainsaw, cut your tree, put your initials on the bottom, and tow it over to the front where you check out. 
• Price varies by the type of tree and size.  My 6' Blue Spruce with 40$ plus tax and a $2 fee for bundling- came out to I believe $46. 
• They also have pre-cut trees available out front if you don't want to walk the farm
• Cash or check only
• Owned and run by the Umrysz Family
• There is a store out front with wreaths, ornaments, and accessories
• There is hot cocoa for sale out front 

After the tree was wrapped and bungeed to the top of the car, we headed home just as the snow started to stick to the roads.  First things first, I made hot cocoa and spiked eggnog and spent some time trimming the bottom of the tree and in the stand it went.  If your tree sat for more than 4 hours without water, make sure you cut the bottom of the tree again to make sure it's taking up water.  Next came the fun part - lights and ornaments.

Every time I travel, I try to avoid the expensive and kitchy souvenirs and come back with one thing: an ornament.  It can be somewhere local in New England or an ornament from bigger trips.  I add new to the collection of old and every year when I decorate my tree, I get to remember all the amazing places I have been lucky enough to visit.    This year, an ornament from the House of Seven Gables in Salem MA, an apple from a NYC trip, a ceramic outline of Block Island, a fish from Grand Cayman, and a sheep from Iceland made its way onto the tree with favorites from other years.  Wooden ornaments from some of my favorite ski resorts, and the amazing Santa corn husk from the World's Only Corn Palace (South Dakota!).  

The finished product is a unique tree filled with some of my most favorite memories. No matchy-matchy ornaments here- just a collection of travels and a whole lot of critters decorate my Christmas tree.  

The snow continued to fall throughout the day and ended with a cookie baking party with a good friend and her dog.  It is hard to beat a snowy Holiday weekend here in New England with a fresh cut tree in the living room and three types of cookies baking in the oven.  Stay tuned for my trip to New York City to soak up everything Christmas and Holidays in the Big Apple.