O Tannenbaum

I am one of those people that's (obnoxiously) steeped in tradition. Thanksgiving, for me, is a gateway to the real festivities. And the second that dinner is cleaned up and people are resting off their rich meal, I bring out the Christmas-scented candles, a tucked away wreath, a little doodad that's covered in gold glitter. The morning after Thanskgiving is dedicated not to shopping early in the morning, but to finding our Christmas tree at a farm and cutting it down. Quite possibly my favorite tradition of all - the Friday dedicated decorating the tree with egg nog, Nat King Cole, reminiscing over ornaments from years past, and having a home immediately filled with the scent of a Noble Fir and cinnamon pinecones.

This year, we hosted Thanksgiving, and Ben's mom and brother joined us to eat a great meal. We had roast duck (in lieu of turkey), venison sausage and chestnut stuffing, a giant greens, beet, and gorgonzola salad, and mashed yams. We finished it off with Bon Appetit's salted apple galette topped with bourbon whipped cream and more bottles than I'd like to count of great Pinot Noir from Rex Hill and Wildewood. 

The morning after, though it was whipping wind and rain outside the apartment, I loaded a sleepy crew, bundled in rain gear and boots, into the car and we drove to Furrow Farms in Hillsboro (our favorite spot for Christmas tree cutting). I don't think the group was as pleased as I was to be searching for our tree in the cold and rain, but that large part of me that feels beholden to tradition could not wait. Luckily the rain let up a smidge during the process and we did get to take off our hoods for some sporadic photos. In the end, we walked away with a beautiful 6 foot Noble Fir and had it decorated before sunset. 

My absolute favorite tree decoration this year are found birds nests that my mother collected all year in Hawaii. She sent them to me to add to my tree and I love the rustic, natural element it adds. I usually focus on an entirely animal-based tree with each animal in shades of red, green, or gold and the bird's nests fit right in! 

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Don't forget to enter the Okamura Farmacopia Beard Oil giveaway running on the blog! Perfect little gifts to wrap up under the tree.