Living Life and Loving It
For one of our Mutual Activities with our Young Women we decorated a Christmas tree for the ward. We decided to do it in the Young Women value colors.
Young Women Christmas tree in Young Women’s Value Colors
Bierman’s Christmas Tree Farm
The day after Thanksgiving has become our day to seek and find the perfect Christmas tree. Years ago I started the tradition of taking the kids to a Christmas tree farm. (When I was growing up my dad made sure every year our family had the joy of having a REAL Christmas tree- it was important to him. We never had an artificial tree.) When my kids were very small, (the first year we moved to the Kansas City area,) we started going to a Christmas Tree Farm to seek out and find the perfect Christmas tree. The first Christmas tree farm we ever went to was Tomahawk Pines, which at the time seemed to be far, far out of town. But developments encroached until houses were built all around it and then Tomahawk Pines disappeared…becoming a housing development. We found another one further out, but it also succumbed to the same fate. We found another one but it was difficult to get to…we went to that one only one (maybe two) times. For the past few years we have gone to Bierman’s Christmas Tree farm which reopened after being closed for a number of years.
Bierman’s Christmas Tree Farm
The irony of it all is we go to a Christmas Tree Farm, tromp around and look at the trees at the Christmas tree farm and then always buy one they have imported in (from somewhere like Minnesota). And if it is really cold we don’t even tromp around that much…we just go to the “imported in” trees and pick out our tree. Doesn’t really make sense, but I want a Frasier fir. I like the look of Frasier Firs, I like the smell of Frasier Firs, I like the shape of the Frasier Fir (the Frasier Fir says “Christmas Tree” to me)….but Frasier Firs won’t grow in this area. So why do we go to a Christmas Tree Farm?? Just because…that is the way I want to do it…I want to create the memories. Memories can be kept forever…
Bear, Carl, Bob, Wasim and Becca
Bob and Becca
My daughter, Becca
Bob and Becca
Father and daughter, Bob and Becca
Carl and Wasim
The lookout…to find the perfect tree…
Bob, Carl and Becca
Andrea, my sister, and her family always come and get their Christmas tree also:
Andrea and son Nial
Andrea’s son Zain
Aalia and Zain
Andrea’s three children; Aalia, Zain, and Nial
Some of the entertainment at the Christmas Tree Farm
Photo opportunity!
Nial, Zain and Aalia
Shaking out the tree:
Shaking out the tree.
The perfect Christmas Tree:
The Perfect Christmas Tree
Christmas Tree Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence, Missouri 2013
Once again, I had the privilege of helping to decorate the Independence, Missouri Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Visitor’s Center for Christmas. I help Sue Allred with the decorating of the two trees (one big one upstairs and the pioneer tree downstairs). We have been doing it for about 15 years or so now. We just finished the trees on Friday. They will have the lighting ceremony Saturday Nov. 30th at 6:00 pm (937 W. Walnut, Independence, MO).
The big tree on the main level is a 12 footer and has the Savior and the celestial heavens as a back drop.
We choose colors that complement the back drop using gold, blues, pinks and lime greens. This year we used the theme of “Let Heaven and Nature Sing”.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Glittery butterfly on Christmas tree Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
Christmas Tree, Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri.
The downstairs area has to do with the history of the area so we decorate the tree to fit with the historic pioneer theme.
Pioneer tree Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri
Pioneer tree Mormon Visitor’s Center Independence Missouri
I had just a few days to get ready for Christmas before people starting arriving so I decorated…
One of my favorite nativities is this antique nativity set I found years ago. Supposedly, it was in the window of Macy’s in San Francisco for years and years… but I have no proof of that, but we love it anyway. It was in very “rough” shape when I bought it, i.e. broken and glued etc. But we love it anyway.
Antique Nativity.
Antique Nativity.
Santa by artist Jane Howard.
New decorations this year included two antique Santa faces that I tied to wreaths and placed on the back doors.
Antique Santa faces.
My new Christmas tree this year was a nativity tree, I have a collection of antique postcards, so these were put on a small tree with gold glitter stars and lights. It was quite pretty. Next year I think I will do a little bit bigger tree since I wasn’t able to use all the postcards.
Nativity tree.
More decor…
Kitchen mantle and large Santa, all by artist Jane Howard.
Kitchen counter tree.
I found these wonderful vases this year. They have numerous sizes and dimensions…all with liners. They are on-line at http://www.stemsvases.com/. I ordered them and gave them as Christmas gifts (with flowers). They were a hit!
When Becca and Henry arrived I had little trees for each of them to decorate.
Becca’s princess tree.
Henry’s car and “camo” tree.
We always go to a Christmas tree farm to get our Christmas tree. Which doesn’t really make sense, since I gave up years and years ago on the evergreens that grow around this area. It seems the Christmas Tree Farms here always grow the long needle variety and those long needles turn hypodermic deadly when you are trying to take down the dried up, long needle tree. I have for many years bought a Frasier Fir tree, from a Christmas tree farm around here, that has been imported usually from some northern state like Michigan or Wisconsin. So right after Thanksgiving I headed off to a Christmas tree farm, Biermann’s, to buy my imported Frasier Fir Christmas tree. We have gone to Biermann’s for the last few years, after the two previous Christmas tree farms we frequented closed due to “developments” that took over the farm.
This year it was just me and Andrea, Wasim and her kids; Zain, Aalia and Nail and my other sister Miriam. We made quick work of it…somehow it seems we are defeating the purpose (and real fun?) of tramping all over the “farm” to find that perfect tree. We just head to the imported Frasier Fir row, look at the height, find the one which seems to have the most straight truck and fullest branches and in minutes have our tree. But it is a nice tradition and they do serve hot chocolate and cookies. And this year we didn’t really even need coats.
Aalia, my sister Miriam and Zain.
Inside the “barn”, where you can buy wreaths, garlands, etc. Nail, Aalia, and Zain.