Christmas Tree Capital of the WORLD!

Acquiring and decorating a Christmas tree is a pretty big deal in my family.  I'm from a small town, well, village, really, near Indiana, Pennsylvania.  There's a sign nearby that says Indiana is the Christmas Tree Capital of the World.  I'm not really sure who decided this, nor do I know what factors this decision was made off of, but it's on a billboard, nonetheless.

Growing up in the boondocks, we used to go tromp around a field for several hours, even several different fields.  We'd pick out trees and defend them against one another, arguing until we finally tired out and picked the next tree we saw.  My favorite trees were the ones that we'd pick and cut ourselves, putting $5 in a coffee can on the tree farmer's front porch.  Have I mentioned that I grew up in the country?

As my siblings and I have grown older, our epic tree search has been reduced to typically stopping at the local nursery, picking out a pre-cut tree, getting it nicely bundled and paying more than $5.  We no longer hem and haw over how to get it into the car, or back into the car if it fell off onto the road on the way home...I mean, that's never happened.

 No matter how we acquire our Christmas tree, it's still our family tree, decorated with love and surrounded by pets who run through it and eat tinsel.  Merry Christmas!